Natalia Evelyn Bencicova (b. Bratislava, 1992) is a visual creative specializing in photography and new media. Informed by her background in fine studies (University for Applied Arts, Vienna), Evelyn’s practice combines her interest in contemporary culture with academic research to create a unique aesthetic space in which the conceptual meets the visual.
Evelyn constructs compelling narrative scenarios that blur the lines between reality, memory, and imagination “fictions based on truth”. Depicting multifaceted representations as illusions, Evelyn plays with the viewer’s perception to entice them into the labyrinth of imagination. Her disturbingly beautiful visual language set within curiously symbolic environments, allow for a deep exploration of the themes that take her works and images far beyond what they reveal at first glance (text from MERROR solo show, Fotografiska Stockholm).
EDUCATION:
2021
Mgr. Art, University of Applied Arts, Vienna
2015-2021Department of Fine Art , class of photography (Gabriele Rothemann)
2016-2017
exchange semesterApplies Photography and Time-Based media (Maria Ziegelböck)
SOLO SHOWS:
2023 “SimulacRaum”, Goethe Institut, Bratislava
2022 “Asymptote”, Alison Milne Gallery, Toronto
2022 “Anti-Atlantis”, UY CODESS, Berghain Halle, Berlin
2022 “SimulacRAUM”, FOG Gallery, Bratislava
2022 “Artificial Tears”, Slovak Institute in Prague
2021 “Anti-Atlantis”, Universität fur Angewandte Kunst, Vienna
2021 “MERROR”, Fotografiska Tallinn
2020 “Artificial Tears”, Sensorium Festival, Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava
2020 “Work in progress”, Barbara Thumm -New viewings, Berlin
2020 “Cure”, Alison Milne Gallery (part of Contact Photography Festival), Toronto
2019 “It is dark inside”, Synthesis gallery, Berlin
2019 “Notes on Hysteria”, Musica Sanae, Museum Kesselhaus Herzberge, Berlin
2019 “Portrait of an Anomaly”, CE contemporary gallery, Milano
2019 “Artificial Tears”, Berlin photo week, Kraftwerk, Berlin
2018 “MERROR”, Fotografiska Stockholm
2018 “Warstwy” Metavera Art Festival, Poland
2016 “Asymptote”, Slovak National Broadcast, Bratislava
GROUP SHOWS (selection):
2023 Photo London Fain, with Artemis Gallery, Somerset House, London (upcoming)
2023 DIGITAL SENSATION, Art in Space, Dubai
2023 POSTGENDER, UnicornDAO x Vellum LA Gallery, Vellum LA
2023 POSTGENDER, Zorlu Performing Arts Center Istanbul, Turkey
2022 “Convergence”, Optic Nerve, LA
2022 “Sungazing”, HAU - Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin
2022 “P-RN”, The Gateway, Art Basel Miami, Miami
2022 “Out of Square” Photo Israel, Tel Aviv
2022 “Sungazing”, X100 by Atonal, Kraftwerk, Berlin
2022 “P-RN”, NeoshibuyaTV, curated by Unicorn Dao, Tokyo
2022 “nine-sum sorcery” Tehran Contemporary Sounds, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin
2022 “Ancient Futures”, Istanbul Archeology Museum
2022 “Aerial Palettes”, Wehrmuehle Biesenthal, Germany
2022 “Waking up in a World”, Artemis Gallery, Lisbon
2022 “NUDE”, Fotografiska New York
2021 “Direkte Auktion”, Postbank Tower, Berlin
2021 “NUDE”, Fotografiska Stockholm
2021 “Resonant Realities”, VR Art Prize exhibition, HaL, Berlin
2020 “I’d rather be in a dark silence then”, Factory Berlin
2020 “Living with the Arts”, Berlin Masters Foundation at KaDeWe Berlin
2020 “Portrait of Britain”, British Journal of Photography, UK
2020 “Looking Eastward”, Palazzo Tagliaferro, Andora
2020 Berlin Masters Award 2020 exhibition, BM Foundation, Berlin
2020 RASSON art gallery, Tournai, Belgium
2020 “Regenerations”, De School, Amsterdam
2019 "King Oedipus”, Czech National Theatre, Prague
2019 LUNCHMEAT festival, Prague
2019 PHOTO IS:RAEL festival, Tel Aviv
2019 “Glitch In the System”, Base Milano, Milano
2019 Taylor Wessing Portrait Photography prize exhibition, National portrait gallery, London
2019 MIRA -Digital Arts Festival, Barcelona
2019 “30 under 30 women photographers” by Artpil, Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris
2019 “Fresh Eyes” by GUP magazine, Tbilisi photo festival, Tbilisi
2019 “Mitra presents Nine-Sum Sorcery”, Atonal Berlin
2019 “Reverence”, National Centre for Contemporary Art, Minsk
2019 “30 under 30 women photographers” by Artpil, Maison de la Photography, Lilly
2019 “Next time, die consciously”, STRP festival, Eindhoven
2019 “Beyond Boundaries”, Lens Culture exhibition, Aperture Gallery, NYC
2019 “Golden Touch - Alchemy”, Berghain Saule, Berlin
2018 “Next time, die consciously”, Atonal Berlin
2018 Festival Fotografico Europeo, Milano
2017 OFF photo festival, Bratislava
2017 “So weit so Gut”, by Hant magazine, Kunsthalle Erfurt
2017 “Fumes and Parfumes”, Stuttgart
2016 “AJNHAJTCLUB”, Q21, Museumquartier Vienna
2016 “Age of no retirement”, OXO gallery, London
AWARDS AND HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
2022 Lumen Prize, short-listed
2021 Prix Picto De La Photographie De Mode 2021, Winner
2021 Kunstpreis Deutschland, winner
2021 Lumen Prize, long-listed
2021 Czech Grand Design Award, Nominee
2020 VR Art Prize, Grant recipient
2020 Berlin Masters 2020, winner
2020 Portrait of Britain, winner
2019 Young Guns class 17, winner
2019 Tokyo International Foto Award, New Talent of the Year
2018 Photography Grant, 2nd Place, Experimental category
2018 IPA photography awards, winner
2018 Winner of Emerging talent, Spotlight Awards for photographic Excellence
2018 Independent photographer, Open call winner
2016 Hasselblad Masters, winner, portrait category
2016 Broncolor GenNext winner
COLLECTIONS
Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
Fundación Medianocheo, Granada, Spain
Fotografiska, Museum of Photography
Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin
RESIDENCIES
2020 Goethe Institute, VR Sum
2021 Schlieman Residency
2021 MOCDA Digital Residency
2021 Gazell.io, Gazellio Art House
2020 Callies Berlin
2020 Radiance VR
