About
Hans Christian van Nijkerk (b.1982, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is a performance artist, visual artist and musician who lives in Stavanger, Norway. After a successful career as middle-distance runner and years of gaining stage experience through music performances, he studied at the Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art.
In his performances, he inhabits a variety of stage personas ranging from energetic and charismatic motivational speakers to more introverted eccentrics. Both serious and playful, he toys with the audience. Voluntarily or involuntarily they become test subjects for his social experiments through their predictable or unpredictable reactions (or lack thereof), following or disobeying instructions and games. Some of his more recent video works use elements of the documentary genre, while experimenting with storytelling, self-staging and / or sound.
Since 2013, Hans Christian has shown his work in 12 countries. He has organized performance art events and exhibitions as a member of Performance Art Bergen and BLOKK (2014-2019) and has received grants from Arts Council Norway (2013 and 2018) and working grants from Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond (2016-2018).
In his performances, he inhabits a variety of stage personas ranging from energetic and charismatic motivational speakers to more introverted eccentrics. Both serious and playful, he toys with the audience. Voluntarily or involuntarily they become test subjects for his social experiments through their predictable or unpredictable reactions (or lack thereof), following or disobeying instructions and games. Some of his more recent video works use elements of the documentary genre, while experimenting with storytelling, self-staging and / or sound.
Since 2013, Hans Christian has shown his work in 12 countries. He has organized performance art events and exhibitions as a member of Performance Art Bergen and BLOKK (2014-2019) and has received grants from Arts Council Norway (2013 and 2018) and working grants from Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond (2016-2018).
Recent Works
#naturesartwork - A short introduction to Norwegian instagram posing in nature (2020)
Performance at Finsecamp 2020, with members from Performance Art Bergen and Performance Art Oslo.
Duration: approx. 10 min.
The way Norwegians are typically staging photos of themselves in nature on instagram gets a closer look - in analytical and humorous fashion. The most common poses are demonstrated -with and without an ecstatic facial expression- and the audience (the other performance artists in this case) are invited to participate both as instagram models and to take photos of this situation using their smart phones. Other posing artists: Marthe H S Dahl and Don Lawrence.
Official documentation photos by Petter Lønningen.
Duration: approx. 10 min.
The way Norwegians are typically staging photos of themselves in nature on instagram gets a closer look - in analytical and humorous fashion. The most common poses are demonstrated -with and without an ecstatic facial expression- and the audience (the other performance artists in this case) are invited to participate both as instagram models and to take photos of this situation using their smart phones. Other posing artists: Marthe H S Dahl and Don Lawrence.
Official documentation photos by Petter Lønningen.
Competition: How Does It Make You Feel? (2020) 1 Minute segment
A 1 minute segment from "Competition: How Does It Make You Feel?" (02:41)
Inspired by Youtube reaction videos, our hyper-competitive neoliberal society and the disintegration of ordinary grammar in internet slang and memes, "Competition: How Does It Make You Feel?" (2020) shows a wide range of one man's performed emotional reactions to either winning or losing. However, we never actually see who or what he is reacting to. Eventually, as the reactions become more extreme, the video is cut short by ever increasing glitches.
Overall concept, writing, dubbing, sound effects, music and editing: Hans Christian van Nijkerk
Motion Graphics: Nicholas Tocher
Music inspired by Tantacrul's Youtube video "Corporate Music: How to Compose with no Soul"
Footage originally shot for the music video "Slim Kerk: På Trening" (2016)
Director of photography: Ken Robert Haltvik
Producer and editor: Kristian Blilie Berg
Assistant producer: Iris Loretta Llanos
Inspired by Youtube reaction videos, our hyper-competitive neoliberal society and the disintegration of ordinary grammar in internet slang and memes, "Competition: How Does It Make You Feel?" (2020) shows a wide range of one man's performed emotional reactions to either winning or losing. However, we never actually see who or what he is reacting to. Eventually, as the reactions become more extreme, the video is cut short by ever increasing glitches.
Overall concept, writing, dubbing, sound effects, music and editing: Hans Christian van Nijkerk
Motion Graphics: Nicholas Tocher
Music inspired by Tantacrul's Youtube video "Corporate Music: How to Compose with no Soul"
Footage originally shot for the music video "Slim Kerk: På Trening" (2016)
Director of photography: Ken Robert Haltvik
Producer and editor: Kristian Blilie Berg
Assistant producer: Iris Loretta Llanos
HC & Håvard - Stopp der! En lyddokumentar om skader, skuffelser og Thor Ronny Rønningen. (2020)
A sound documentary parody of Tiger King. The fourth episode by satirical sound duo HC & Håvard (Hans Christian van Nijkerk and Håvard Henriksen). The sketch is in Norwegian.
The third episode by satirical sound duo HC & Håvard (Hans Christian van Nijkerk and Håvard Henriksen).
NO:
Du har sett Tiger King, men har du hørt den spinnville lyddokumentaren om digital hjelper og svindler Thor Ronny Rønningen? Møt fargerike skikkelser som kameramann Buddy dos Santos, elgjeger Teddy Love og en rekke underbetalte amatørskuespillere som tar oss fra Haugesund til Alaska og tilbake.
The third episode by satirical sound duo HC & Håvard (Hans Christian van Nijkerk and Håvard Henriksen).
NO:
Du har sett Tiger King, men har du hørt den spinnville lyddokumentaren om digital hjelper og svindler Thor Ronny Rønningen? Møt fargerike skikkelser som kameramann Buddy dos Santos, elgjeger Teddy Love og en rekke underbetalte amatørskuespillere som tar oss fra Haugesund til Alaska og tilbake.
Portrait Series (2020)
A series of portrait drawings
HC & Håvard - Appen Opp Og Stå (2020)
The third episode by satirical sound duo HC & Håvard (Hans Christian van Nijkerk and Håvard Henriksen).
The following is an ad for a new productivity app for the corona period, Opp Og Stå (Upsy-Daisy). The sketch is in Norwegian.
The following is an ad for a new productivity app for the corona period, Opp Og Stå (Upsy-Daisy). The sketch is in Norwegian.
Gain / Maintain / Lose Momentum (2020)
A performance photo series developed during the early stages of the 2020 Covid-19 crisis, using photos originally shot in 2012 at PAF (Performing Arts Forum) in St. Erme, France. On the one hand the photos suggest physical ways of dealing with a crisis of some kind, whether existential, artistic or spiritual. On the other hand the series is a spontaneous physical interaction with a chapel space.
Dinner Party!
Performance with Hiroko Tsuchimoto at Gallery Club in Podgorica, Montenegro.
Exhibition from December 12-31.
Organized by Centar Savremene Umjetnosti (The Contemporary Art Centre of Montenegro)
Contact Info
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Contact info: Hans Christian van Nijkerk
e-mail: kerk@kerkart.com Tlf: +47 924 46 715 Org. nr: 994978470 Studio Address: Misjonsveien 58A N-4024 Stavanger Norway Cover Photo: Acción!MAD |