(b.1962, Halle (Saale), Germany)

Olaf Nicolai’s conceptually-based art probes and deciphers subjects as diverse as aesthetics, consumerism, nature, music, the body, time and space, and questions the way in which we view our everyday surroundings. His work includes site-specific installations, environments and interventions, many of which are collaborative. Words, signs and symbols play a central part in his projects, which often incorporate books and experimental publications that he has made especially for them. Physical activities and games also feature in his work; he has created an ice rink in a gallery, and made outdoor works that transform a skatepark into a ‘street surfing painting’ and a museum courtyard into a football pitch. He is interested in the idea that art can be a catalyst for change and can help in the transformation and regeneration of public spaces.