Berndnaut Smilde
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Berndnaut Smilde creates installations, sculptures, and photographs that explore the deconstruction and reconstruction of materials, light, and atmosphere in architectural contexts. His work occupies a space between the real and the temporal, forming fleeting, poetic moments. Smilde holds an MA from the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen. His Nimbus series was named one of TIME Magazine’s “Top Ten Inventions of 2012,” and his work is included in the Saatchi and Smithsonian collections. Selected exhibitions include Ronchini Gallery, London (2025, 2022), Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle (2024), Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2024), and Stavanger Art Museum, Stavanger (2020), among others. Smilde has been extensively published and exhibited internationally, developing a unique visual language around transience and atmosphere.
2025 Biennial Project
Project Overview
Nimbus Atlas
Nimbus Atlas represents six self-made clouds captured in slow motion, showing how they form, change, and dissipate. Each fleeting cloud exists for only a few seconds, evoking transformation, loss, and the ephemeral beauty of presence. While the clouds themselves vanish, the work survives through video and documentation, connecting ideas of labor, architecture, and change across time and place.
Presented with support from Danny Noordanus and Ronchini Gallery.
Venue
View moreChicago Cultural Center
Address
78 E. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602
Neighborhood
The Loop
Description
Completed in 1897 as Chicago’s first central library, the building was established as the Chicago Cultural Center, the nation’s first and most comprehensive free municipal cultural venue, in 1991. One of the most visited attractions in Chicago, the stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free art exhibitions, performances, tours, lectures, family activities, music, and more – presented by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and many others.
