VIVI  NIKOW  

FRAGMENTS OF A PHASE

The only daughter of a Russian painter who settled down in Argentina, was born in La Plata in 1958. Her artistic background began she registered in a High School specializing in Fine Arts. she started off her career in painting when she was 20 years old after a childhood and adolescence devoted to music.

When she was very young, her works took to naïve style and she painted more than 400 pictures along 18 years of hard work.

In the mid-90\'s there took place a most significant change involving a widening of the selected themes, ranging from typical characters from the north of Argentina (which meant to her international recognition) to typical characters from Bahía, Brazil, where Nikow spends most of her time.

Moreover, the shape and size of her works were enlarged and more relevance was granted to the characters, their occupations and their dreams.

The painter called this phase SIMILARITIES because of the search for features that both cultures share. In 2001, her thematic range continued to widen as she approached Erotic Art by using a variety of materials such as inks, cement, and earth.

Later on, non-figurative painting gave her the chance to express her life story and feelings in an unprecedented way.

Two recurrent ideas can be distinguished: music scores, as a sign of her first love (music) and osier, being the latter a material that symbolizes the painter\'s ability to adapt to the uncertainties of change in the search for a change in richness and freedom.

She has participated in 70 collective exhibitions and 22 individual exhibitions since 1983. A list of some of them follows:

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS: 1986: Argentinean Contemporary Painting, at the Museo de las Casas Reales, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) / 1987: Prix Suisse de Peinture Naïve in Morges (Switzerland) / 1988: Ethnic Museum at Warsaw, Leznica Gallery at Radom and Museum of Fine Arts at Cracow (Poland) / Museum of Literature in Praga (Czech Republic) / Argentinean House in Rome (Italy) / Hungarian Museum of Naïf Artists at Kecskemet (Hugary)  / Gallery of Non Aligned Artists Joseph Bros Tito at Podgorica (Montenegro)and Cultural Center of Belgrado (Serbia)/ Back to Europe, at the Pacific Galleries in Buenos Aires (Argentina) /1990: Trains as seen by Naïf Artists, at the Sala Rail Club of the Chamartìn Station in Madrid (Spain) / Homage to Joan Brotat, at the Tuset Gallery in Barcelona (Spain) / 5th   Exhibition Room of Naïf Art, Paris (France) / 1991: Homage to the Vietnamese Artist Mai Thu at the Palace of Naïfs Artists from Bages, Pyrenées Roussillon (France) / 1992: 2nd Exhibition of Naïf Art, at the Bilbao Vizcaya Bank of Ponferrada, León (Spain) / 1994: Guest Artist at The Best of Naïf Painting at the Rómulo Raggio Museum of Vicente López (Argentina) / 1997: Guest Artist at 5th Exhibition   of Paintings at Méré, at L’ Île de France (France

INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS: 1984-1988-1990: Austral Gallery of La Plata (Argentina) / 1985: Trench Gallery, Buenos Aires (Argentina) / 1988:  Argentia Gallery at the Ezeiza Airport  (Argentina) / 1997: Honored Guest at La Fête Dans le Monde, at the Musée  d’Art Naïf de l’ Île de France, Vicq (France) / Magerit Gallery, Madrid (Spain / 1997-1998:  L’ Auberge de l’ Abbaye at Neauphle le Vieux, Île de France (France). )./ 2002: Moacir Moreno Gallery, Pelourinho, San Salvador de Bahía, Brazil.

MURAL PAINTINGS: Saint-Simon School in La Plata (Argentina) / Musée d’ Art Naïf de L’ île de France, Vicq (France) / C.I.D , La Plata (Argentina)

MUSEUMS: Museo Internacional de Arte Naïf de Jaén (Spain)/ Palais des Naïfs de Bages, Pyrenées Roussillon (France) / Museée d’ Art Naïf de l’ìle de France, Vicq (France) / Museo Municipal de Arte José María Rosa de Junín and Museo de Artes Visuales de General Belgrano (Argentina).

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS:   Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Canada, Spain, France, Germany and South Africa.

PUBLICATIONS:  Her worksuot; of art have been included in essay, short stories and poetry books, record covers, calendars, posters and Christmas cards for non profit Institutions.

He has participated as a juror in painting competitions and as curator of art exhibitions. It also conducts photo shoots, advertising and interior design, and teaches her own workshop.