Nik Kosmas

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Installation view of "Power Rack," 2016, "Rig," 2016, and "Squat Rack," 2016; courtesy Nik Kosmas; photo: Timo Ohler

* 1985 in Minneapolis, US, lebt und arbeitet lives and works in Berlin

Nik Kosmas’ contribution is not a statement, installation, or performance. These three simple structures are nothing more or less than foundational pieces of gym equipment: a power rack, a squat rack, and a rig. They make up a usable, aesthetically designed physical training set-up, which is open to the public during regular, guided workouts. Originally a full-time artist as part of AIDS-3D, founded in 2006 with Daniel Keller, Kosmas now devotes himself to his fitness and nutrition businesses, which grew out of his artistic work. Today Kosmas’ position towards art is less one of refusal than simply a turning towards activities and language that are more concrete, more relevant to people’s lives, more hands-on. As Kosmas stated in a recent interview: “I see honesty, control, and excellence as qualities that guide my future production.”

List of works

Power Rack, 2016

Steel, turf, MDF

Rig, 2016

Steel, turf, MDF

Squat Rack, 2016

Steel, turf, MDF

All works Courtesy Nik Kosmas
Commissioned and coproduced by Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art
With the support of Lena and Johann König, Berlin; NikeLab

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Installation view of Squat Rack, 2016, Rig, 2016, and Power Rack, 2016, courtesy Nik Kosmas, photo: Timo Ohler
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Open Workout at Akademie der Künste, photo: David Toro
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Installation view of Squat Rack, 2016 and Power Rack, 2016, courtesy Nik Kosmas, photo: Timo Ohler