Caro Niederer (born 1963 in Zürich) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Zürich.
Niederer works in a variety of media. Her work encompasses techniques such as painting, photography, video as well as silk tapestries. Niederer is, along with Pipilotti Rist and Sylvie Fleury, one of the most popular contemporary female Swiss artists. Human day-to-day situations from her private life and her immediate environment are the source for most of Niederer's works. These personal snapshots are then re-worked in paintings or form the template for huge hand knotted silk carpets, which the artist gets produced in China. The transformation of an image through its replication in another media is a core theme of Niederer's work. In an ongoing photo series called Interieurs Niederer photographs her sold works in situ in their new owners' homes and offices.
Recent major museums exhibitions include Kunstmuseum St.Gallen (2017/2018), CAC Malaga (2006), Haus Lange, Krefeld (2006), Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin (2005), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2005) and Kunstmuseum St. Gallen (2004).
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions 1990 Cairo Atelier, Cairo, Egypt Souvenirs, Kunsthaus Oerlikon, Zurich, Switzerland 1992 Säntis, curated by Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Säntis Bergstation, Schwaegalp, Switzerland, 1993 Kunsthalle St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland 1994 Abbilder, Ausstellungsraum Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany 1995 Öffentliche und Private Bilder, Kunstverein Friedrichshafen, Germany 2003 Memoria e Valore, Le Case d'Arte, Milan, Italy 2004 Leben mit Kunst / Living with Art, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland (travelling exhibition) 2005 The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland Leben mit Kunst / Living with Art, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK (travelling exhibition) 2006 Leben mit Kunst / Living with Art, Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany (travelling exhibition) Souvenir and Conversations, CAC – Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Málaga, Malaga, Spain 2017 Good Life Ceramics, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland 2018 Good Life Ceramics, Kunstmuseum St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland Print Works, Kunstgriff, Zurich, Switzerland 2019 Good Luck, complete Works, Geneva, Switzerland
Group exhibitions 1988 Junge Schweizer KünstlerInnen, Stiftung Merian, Muba 88, Basel, Switzerland 1989 Kunsthaus Oerlikon, Zurich, Switzerland 1992 Blumen, Bilderraum, Zurich, Switzerland 1993 Informationsdienst c/o, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium, (travelling exhibition) Informationsdienst c/o, Goethe House, New York, USA, (travelling exhibition) Informationsdienst c/o, Grazer Kunstverein, Graz, Austria, (travelling exhibition) Informationsdienst c/o, Sous-sol, Geneva, Switzerland, (travelling exhibition) Serial – Ein limitierter Laden von Michelle Nicol, Zurich, Switzerland 1994 Eidgenössisches Kunststipendium 1994, Messe Basel, Basel, Switzerland Merry-go-round, Shedhalle, Zurich, Switzerland Werk- und Atelierstipendium 1994, Helmhaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland 1995 Inventar 95/96, Helmhaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland SüdwestLB Druckgraphik Kunstpreis 1995, SüdwestLB Forum, Stuttgart, Germany Werk- und Atelierstipendium 1995, Helmhaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland 1996 Auszug, Kunstverein Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany Doppelbindung / Linke Masche, Kunstverein München, Munich, Germany !Hello world?, Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich, Switzerland 1997 Alpenblick, die zeitgenössische Kunst und das Alpine, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria Geschlossene Gesellschaft, Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland Kunst & Kiosk (with Véronique Zusseau), Alte Konsumbäckerei, Solothurn, Switzerland Objets du désir, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland SüdwestLB Druckgraphik Kunstpreis 1997, SüdwestLB Forum, Stuttgart, Germany 1998 Geschlossene Gesellschaft, Kunstmarkt Dresden, Dresden, Germany Non-Painters-Painting, Galerie Berlintokio, Berlin, Germany Salon, Kunstverein St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland Wish you were here (with Andreas Rüthi und Bruno Müller-Meyer), Milch, London, UK 1999 Bunte Hintergründe und klassische Porträts (with Bruno Müller-Meyer), 2000 Kontext, Kunsthalle Kornwestheim, Germany 2001 WertWechsel, Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Cologne, Germany 2002 Heimspiel, Zeughaus Teufen, Teufen, Switzerland Interior / Exterior (with A. Goldsworthy), Cultureel Centrum De Romaanse Poort, Leuven, Belgium 2003 Heimspiel, Kunsthalle St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland 2004 Appenzeller Frauenaufzug, Zeughaus Teufen, Teufen, Switzerland Citazioni, Le Case d'Arte, Milan, Italy Kunst für die Kunst, Kunsthalle St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland 2005 Painting the Edge, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, Korea 2006 Hyperdesign, Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, China 2009 Gefrorene Momente / Frozen Moments, Kunstmuseum Chur, Chur, Switzerland Heimspiel 09, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland Locating Home, Harewood House, Harewood, UK Tracing Reality I, Kunstraum Riehen, Riehen, Switzerland 2012 The Art on your Wall, Artclub 1563, Seoul, Korea Das eigene Kind im Blick, Kunsthalle Emden, Emden, Germany Heimspiel, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland The Prestige of Painting from Europe: The Future Lasts Forever, Interalia Art Compagny, Seoul, Korea 2014 Gastspiel. Schweizer Gegenwartskunst im Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland 2015 Don't Shoot the Painter – UBS Art Collection, Villa Reale's Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Milan, Italy Heimspiel, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland 2016 A Being in the World, curated by Jayson Musson and Fabienne Stephan, Salon 94 Bowery, New York, USA 2020 Conversations about Work. Kino Süd, Weiss Falk, Basel Sommer des Zögerns. Kunsthalle Zürich Subject sitting in a darkened room. Barbara Seiler, Zurich
Public conversations
1997 Wie entsteht das Wertvolle, with Christina Bechtler, Galerie Agathe Nisple, St.Gallen, Switzerland
2004 Gespräche über die Arbeit, Zeughaus Teufen, Teufen, Switzerland
Concepts and Projects
1992 Oriental Spirit in Contemporary Zurich Flats, with Stephanie Thalmann, Video, 90’ 1993 Forum Information, with Marc Jancou, Galerie Marc Jancou, Zurich 1997 World of Interiors, Janet Paris, Andreas Rüthi, Bridget Smith, Binz 39, Zurich 2016 Glassware, MMperformance (UA) by Christoph Gallio und Caro Niederer, Aktionshalle Stanzerei, Baden, Switzerland 2017 The Inventory of Happiness, Angela Weber Möbel, Zurich, Switzerland
Awards and grants 1990: Pro Helvetia grant and studio in Schabramant, Cairo/EG 1992: AR-Kulturstiftung, grant 1995: Werkstipendium der Stadt Zurich 1996: AR-Kulturstiftung, grant 1997: IBK Förderpreis 1997 2000: AR-Kulturstiftung, grant 2004: Manor Kunstpreis
References