Nicola is a conceptual artist who does film, performances, and functional art. In 1969, living in Paris and Ibiza, she performed “ The Red Coat for Eleven People “ at the Festival of the Isle of Wight, with Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, and continued to perform “ The Red Coat" or “Same Skin for Everybody” in the streets of London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Paris, Barcelona, Ibiza, and New York.
In the same year, 1969, she had her first personal
shows of functional art at Daniel Templon, Paris and Galerie Veranneman
in Brussels, followed by numerous expositions in Europe and in America.
In the 70s, Nicola began to work with her friends Copi, Victor Garcia
and Jerome Savari, with whom she developed various experimental
pieces in Ibiza and Paris.
From 1975 to 1986 she concentrated on film projects. The first of
which was titled,” The Heads are Still in the Island, ”
shot in 35 mm on Ibiza with Terry Thomas, Lola Gaos, and Norman
Brinsky. In 1976, she directed a film about a Spanish Woman sentenced
to death during the years of Franco. “ Eva Forest. “
In 1979, she moved to New York where she shot “ Bad Brains
at CBGB; “ in 1980, and in 1981, a documentary portrait of
“Abbie Hoffman “which was shown on PBS. ( it is because
of this film on Abbie that Nicola was invited at the Havana Festival
de Cine, and discovered and liked Cuba in 1997). From 1982 to 1985
she wrote “ The Movement” based on interviews with Noam
Chomsky, Bill Kunstler, Dave Dillenger, Kate Millet, Stokley Carmichael,
Angela Davis and others.
In 1986, she went back to her roots of conceptual and functional
art, and was exhibited at Florida International University, Mukha
Museum Antwerp, Vrej Baghoomian Gallery -NYC, Peder Bonnier NYC,
Thread Waxing Space NYC, Galerie Lara Vincy Paris, Nice Museum of
Contemporary Art, and The Center of Contemporary Art, Le Magazin,
in Grenoble.
In 1992, Nicola performed “ Same Skin for Everybody” with
Fernando Arrabal in the streets of New York for Antenne 2.
By 1995, she wrote and directed “ Sand Sea Sky” a 20 min.
film shot in 16 mm and produced by Karina Werner Jakobi.
During 1996 Nicola wrote and performed ”Nine Femmes Fatales
in Their Own Words” at the Theater La Mama in New York and
at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Nice, France.
In 1997, she was invited by “ The Centre d’Art Contemporain
de Grenoble” to participate
at the show” Vraiment Feministe et Art “ curated by Laura
Cottingham.
In 1998 & 1999 she wrote and performed “ The Banquet of
the Beheaded” with the Lab Theater at La Mama and a reading
at the Public Theater in New York.
In February 2000, Nicola filmed 5 hours in the streets of Havana,
” Quien es?”a version of 12 mm of the film were shown
at The Tish school of NYU, Loule Festival, and Cuban Art Center
NYC.
In 2000 also, she was a part of the exposition “ Vivement 2002”
at the Musee d’art Contemporain Geneva where her piece ”
The Rug for 5” was acquired by la Frac.
In November 2001 she had one Person Exhibition at Wooster Projects
New York.
Since 2001 , she has been working on a new project “ The Blue
Cape “ a performance that she plans to film around the world,
starting in Havana Cuba .
In July 2002 , she has a retrospective exposition at the Gallery
La Casona Havana - Cuba.
She performs The Blue cape for the first time The film of the performance
and a documentary is produced by the Ludwig Foundation - Havana
, First one and Stephan films Paris.
In June 2003 she curates a show “9 Women in the Same Coat
“ with Marta Minujin, Carolee Schneemann, Phoebe Legere, Dominique
Nabokov, Orlan, Rita Barros etc...
Briggs Robinson Gallery NYC
In August 2003 in Venise-Italy- Arte Communications Open 2003- Arte
& Cinema- opens the exposition with the performance of the Blue
cape being this time an Ephemeral Monument for the Cinema
Installation with The Red Coat for 11 people
In September 2003 , Nicola has 2 retrospective expositions in Paris,
Galerie Nec Paris with functional art
Galerie Patricia Dorfmann Paris (she also is at the FIAC with the
same gallery)
In March 2004 she is in a group show at the Galerie Patricia Dorfmann
“ Fragilite”
June 8th . Nicola does a Performance with the Blue Cape of Cinema
at the MAMCO in Geneve on the theme “Aimer, travailler, exister
“ (Living, working, existing) Community Proposition after 1968
, featuring James Lee Byars, Judy Chicago, Lygia Clark, Jörg
Immendorff, Gordon Matta-Clark, Nicola L., Lygia Pape.
Also Nicola is showing an installation with the Red Coat for 11
or “ Same skin for everybody” (June- September)
October 13 2004 Performance with The Blue Cape at The Robert Berman Gallery -
Santa
Monica CA
October 14 2004 She had a show of her Functional Art at the Gallery
Twentieth Los Angeles
October 2004 FIAC Paris with Patricia Dorfmann
December to January she goes to Beijing, China invited by the curator
Benoit Coze and
The Gallery Imagine, Beijing.
On January 2nd, 2005 Nicola gives a lecture at The French Cultural
Center of Beijing.
On January 4th she does a performance on The Great Wall of China
with 20 Chinese artists, where The Blue Cape becomes this time a
naturalistic monument dedicated to the inhabitants of Beijing.
During her stay in Beijing, She continues filming in the streets
of Beijing her documentary “Who is It / Quien es / Qui est
ce” that she started in Cuba in 2000.
February 2005: Editing in New York of the two performances; Geneve
MAMCO and The Great Wall of China
In May 2005
Nicola was guest of honor in Meubles D’ Artistes at the Muse
de chateauroux, France and in June 2005 took part in a Group Show
“Le Corps est le paysage” Donation Mario Prassinos, Saint-Rémy
De Provence.
In July she was invited to the Brooklyn Art Museum (BAM) with three
of her films made in the eighties in New York, “Bad Brains
at CBGBs”, “Rock For Light”, and “Reignition”.
Then in October of the same year, FIAC in Paris with Galerie Patricia
Dorfmann.
In November and December of 2005, she had a retrospective show of
her functional sculpture and conceptual art at Ingrao Gallery, New
York.
In May/June 2006 Nicola showed her functional art at Galerie NEC, Paris
Also in May/June of 2006 Nicola had a show of conceptual work, "Nine Historic Hysteric Women", with Galerie Patricia Dorfman in Paris.
In February 2007, she had a show "Moi Je Me Fais Du Cinema" with Galerie A. Rebours, in Paris
Also in February 2007, Nicola had a retrospective of her films at The MEP, in Paris
(Maison De La Photo)
In June of 2007 Nicola was invited by Leila Voight for a show and a performance of The Cape of Blues at A3/St. Sulpice in Paris.
So far in 2008 she has had two shows in Paris, in April and May 2008, respectively,
"Planet Eye" was at Galerie Pierre Alain Challier, the other was
"Functional Art 1989-2008" at Galerie Catberro, Paris
She is also continuing the performance with The Blue Cape, named now "The Blue Cape Of Human Rights"
