Mischa Kuball Germany, b. 1959

Mischa Kuball is a conceptual artist who has been active in public and institutional spaces since 1977. Employing light as a primary artistic medium, he delves into the exploration of architectural spaces and the intertwined social and political discourses. His work reflects on a broad spectrum of themes, ranging from cultural social structures to architectural interventions. These interventions either highlight or reconfigure the symbolic essence of landmarks, offering a renewed perspective on their architectural and historical context.

His artistic intent is particularly evident in projects such as “private light / public light” (1998), realized as the German contribution to the São Paulo Biennale, “greenlight” (1999) in a former Jewish quarter in Montevideo, and “Refraction House” (1994) at the Synagogue Stommeln. Furthermore, Kuball has presented numerous significant solo exhibitions within institutional contexts. Among the most notable are “Platon’s Mirror” (2011-2015), showcased at venues including the ZKM - Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, and Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, “five planets” (2015) at the Folkwang Museum, and “res.o.nant” at the Jewish Museum Berlin (2017-2019). These politically charged and participatory projects focus on the intersection between public and private spaces, fostering a dialogue between participants, the artist, the artwork, and their environment.

Born in Düsseldorf in 1959, Mischa Kuball continues to live and work in his hometown. Since 2007, he has held a professorship in Public Art at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, following his tenure as Professor of Media Art at the University of Arts and Design/ZKM in Karlsruhe. In 2015, he was inducted into the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts in Düsseldorf, and in 2016, he was awarded the German Light Art Prize. His works are represented in both public and private collections, including Kunstsammlung NRW, Düsseldorf, Kolumba / Diocesan Museum, Cologne, Folkwang Museum Essen, Arthena Foundation/Monika Schnetkamp, Düsseldorf, The Jewish Museum, New York, Philara Foundation, Düsseldorf, and Neues Museum Nürnberg.

1959  - born in Düsseldorf, working and living in Düsseldorf, Germany

Since 1984 - site-specific projects 

Since 1991 - Workshops and project based works at universities and art academies

1990 - Art prize ’ars viva’, Kulturkreis im BDI, Köln/D 

1991 - Stipend for contemporary photography, Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, Essen, Germany 

1993 - Art prize NRW 

1996 - Residence ’Kunstfonds e. V.’ Bonn 

1997 -  Residence in New York of ’Stiftung Kunst und Kultur NRW’, Düsseldorf/D

Residence in Brazil and Japan, Ministerium für Familie, Stadtentwicklung und Kultur NRW  

1998 - German contribution at the 24. Biennial São Paulo/BR Stipend of the Villa Massimo Rome/I 

1999/2000 - Visiting professor at Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, Leipzig/D, Topic: ’Light and Space’ 

2002 - Professor for Media Art at Hochschule für Gestaltung,  Karlsruhe/D

2007 - Professor at Akademie für Kunst und Medien KHM, Köln/D 

2007 - Founder of Experimental Labs MinusEins, at KHM, Köln/D 

2015  - Member at the NRW-Akademie der Wissenschaft und Künste, Düsseldorf/D 

2016 - German Light Art Award of the Museum in Zelle/Deutscher Lichtkunst-Preis des Lichtkunstmuseums Zelle/D 

2022 - Acting secretary of the NRW-Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste, Düsseldorf/D 

Since 2024 - Associated Member at the excellence cluster »Matters of Activity, Image Space Material« Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, projects »Symbolic Material« and »Object Space Agency«, Berlin/D