.png){kind=logo}
BIO
Lives and Works in Montreal, Canada
Herman Kolgen is an acclaimed multidisciplinary artist with more than three decades of experience in media arts. As an audio-cinematic sculptor, his artistic inspiration lies in the intimate relationship between sound and image, leading to installations, video&film works, performances, and sound sculptures. He works in a constant exploration cycle at the crossroads of different media to conjure up a new technical language and a singular aesthetic. The interrelation between human life and its surrounding environment takes the central stage of his conceptual pursuits. The resulting brutal tensions and the interplay between various elements constitute the epicenter of his practice.
ARTIST'S NOTE AND ARTWORK INFO
RETINA
20 MINUTES | 3 CH VIDEO | 2 CH AUDIO | LASER | OPTIC SENSOR
In fact, in relation to RETINA, the OKULAR installation at the CIMER pool crystallizes more specifically on the refractive element of our eye, the cornea. The idea of presenting OKULAR in an atypical place such as a swimming pool is very much in line with the purpose and reinforces this notion of a translucent membrane which transmits light to the retina.
LINK.C
10 MINUTES | 1 CH VIDEO | STRING QUATET | SCORE : PHILIP GLASS
Link.c was commissioned by the Opéra de Bordeaux. Initially this Philip Glass score was written for a piece by Samuel Becket “Company” 1983. It tells the story of a man on the verge of death, alone in his apartment, thinking about all the important people in his life.
I had the idea to expand the subject and, contrary to what is said about large cities and social networks that make us individual, to evoke the invisible bonds that unite us all despite the appearance of isolation.
BAKTERIUM
20 MINUTES | 3 CH VIDEO | 2 CH AUDIO | LENS SPHERE MAPPING
For Bakterium, curator Jay Bang thought of a collaboration between me and bio-scientist Tal Danino. The goal is to think and develop an installation / performance related to this post-pandemic era and the social behavior of bacteria. Talks with Tal have inspired me a lot. One of the links with our current position was this ability of the colonies to optimize themselves by privileging the community over individualism. Their movement in swarms favors their protection in hostile environments. The resulting graphic aesthetic is also strikingly beautiful.