Milena naef

Milena Naef (*1990*) is a visual artist working primarily with marble and glass. As a fourth-generation artist working with stone, her works reflect a personal search for positioning herself within her family’s tradition of sculptors. She creates pieces that explore the physical and mental space of the human body, where the body is sometimes visibly present and other times invisible. The body itself functions as material, questioning the duality between subject and object. Her work also delves into the limits of stone as a material, challenging traditional perceptions of it. Her glass pieces transfer drawings, often exploring urban spaces, and incorporate new and uncontrolled crack lines formed during the firing process, loosening and continuing the creative act.

“I am fascinated by the idea that our bodies are in constant ‘choreography’ with their surroundings. Due to the inevitable presence of our bodies, I believe we define ourselves through the continuous interaction we are compelled to have with our environment. Our own creations allow us to claim, cultivate, and reflect on the spaces we inhabit. The ability to shape and manipulate materials impacts us through the physical exploration itself. I see this interactive exploration as a reflection of ourselves as material.”*

– *When do structures inhibit or liberate us and our physical forms?*
– *What are the consequences of our bodies always ‘filling space’?*

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Upcoming / Ongoing Exhibitions

17.01. – 14.02.2025
Group Exhibition, Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam (NL)

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Exhibitions

2024
– UNFAIR24, Gashouder, Amsterdam (NL)
– ‘Myths of Mothers and Other Monsters, Second Iteration’**, 8 Cubic Meters, Amsterdam, NL
– ‘Steinbilder – Wasserbilder’**, Sculpture in Stone Museum, Fondation Kubach-Wilmsen, Bad Münster, Germany

2023
– ‘Körper’, Sculpture in Stone Museum, Fondation Kubach-Wilmsen, Bad Münster, Germany
– ‘Mythen von Müttern und anderen Monstern’**, L6, Freiburg, Germany
– ‘Plots and Pieces’**, Solo Exhibition at Dock Basel, Switzerland

2022
– ‘Avoiding the Void’, art@work (ti&m), Frankfurt, Zurich, Bern, Switzerland
– **MARBLE**, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg, Denmark

2021
– JUNGKUNST, Winterthur, Switzerland

2020
– ‘One Eye and Two Takes on Vulnerability’**, Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL (Duo Exhibition with Matea Bakula)
– Art Rotterdam**, with Lumen Travo Gallery, NL
– ‘Prospects & Concepts’ (Mondriaan Fonds)**, Art Rotterdam, NL

2019
– Glass Generations 2019**, Alter Hof Herding, Coesfeld/Lette, Germany
– New Horizons**, Museum Jan van der Togt, Amstelveen, Netherlands
– Balanceakte / Balancing Acts**, Kunstverein Springhornhof, Neuenkirchen (Soltau), Germany
– ‘Jonge Beelden’**, Beelden in Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands

2018
– ‘Sculpting the Body’, ad/ad – Project Space, Hanover, Germany
– ‘Prosecute my Posture’, Garage Rotterdam, Rotterdam, NL
– Studio Oliver Gustav*, Copenhagen, Denmark (Solo Exhibition)

2017
– Kunst op de Koffie, Arnhem, NL
– ‘Staging the Inhabitable’, Theatre ‘t Fijnhout, Amsterdam, NL
– Art4More Festival, Athens, Greece
– The Principle of Least Effort’, Kunstvereniging Diepenheim, NL
– Physical Space, SCHUIT, Utrecht, NL
– Amsterdam Art Fair, with Lumen Travo, NL
– PLAYTIME, Kunstvlaai, Amsterdam, invited by Kunsthuis SYB, NL
– ‘Mighty Process’, Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, NL

2016/17
– **Kunst & Design Expo @ KNSM**, SBK, Amsterdam, NL
– **’Selected by… Graduation Show 2016’**, Corrosia, Almere, NL

2016
– Sprouts II**, SBK, Amsterdam, NL
– ‘Nieuwe Oogst’**, Galerie Bart, Amsterdam, NL
– 7e Sybren Hellinga Kunstprijs**, Beetsterzwaag, NL
– ‘Nieuwe Oogst’**, Galerie Bart, Nijmegen, NL
– ‘SELECTED’**, Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam, NL
– Graduation Show Gerrit Rietveld Academie**, Amsterdam, NL
– ‘Unannealed’**, Arti et Amicitae, Amsterdam, NL

2015
– ‘Two Doormen’**, DITS, Amsterdam (Red Light District), NL
– ‘Wonder and Wander’**, De Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, NL

2014
– ‘Constant Companion’**, De Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, NL

2013
– E*Cinema: ‘Medical Experimentation’**, EYE Film Institute, Amsterdam, NL

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Residencies

– **’Uproot Rotterdam’**, Residency, Museumpark, Rotterdam, 2016

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Awards

– **Frans de Wit Prize**, 2019
– **7th Sybren Hellinga Art Prize**, 2016
– **GRA Award Autonomous Art**, 2016

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Education

**2011 – 2016**
– Bachelor’s in Art and Design, **Gerrit Rietveld Academy**, Amsterdam, Netherlands