Nini Sum – Space Walk

Artist-in-Residence 2023 Solo Exhibition

“ Nini Sum (1986) is a visionary mixed media artist from Shanghai deeply rooted in the world of screen printing. Her art pushes boundaries and includes experimentation with a diverse range of media such as collage, larger-than-life murals and public art.

Together with the German artist Gregor Koerting, she founded China's first independent screen printing studio IdleBeats in Shanghai in 2012, which became particularly popular in Shanghai's young music and cultural scene.

As Artist-in-Residence 2023 at the Kunstraum, Nini Sum explored the city of Nuremberg during her stay and collected impressions and ideas.

Technological marvels and scientific advancements showcased in Nuremberg's museums stand as testaments to humanity's relentless pursuit of understanding the cosmos. This pursuit has ignited a torch of inspiration that continues to illuminate the world, fostering intellectual growth and exploration in this city and across borders.

Space represents not only the quest for knowledge but also the unyielding drive to expand horizons.

During the summer months, Nini Sum worked in the AdBK's screen printing studio and made numerous screen prints that served as the basis for her collages. From these prints she selected specific elements and shapes, which she arranged on primed wooden surfaces. This creative approach allowed her to create unique works of art where the combination of screen printing and collage creates a fascinating visual dynamic. This opened up new avenues for her artistic expression and created space for individual interpretations - the beginning of her new series SPACE WALK.

SPACE WALK delves into the cosmic realms of the universe, the galaxies and the observation process itself, taking the viewer into a transcendent space full of wonder and curiosity. At its core, Sum’s work is about creating space – not physically, but mentally. She masterfully uses two-dimensional surfaces to create a limitless expanse in which the mind can wander freely.

Why is space such an exciting topic? For Sum, it symbolizes limitless possibilities and the great unknown. In the great web of life, people are limited and are also aware of their limits. Innate curiosity has driven many clever and creative minds throughout history, also in Nuremberg since the 16th century.

With SPACE WALK, Nini Sum presents her first major exhibition project in Europe at the Kunstraum.”

Curated by Ronald Kiwitt