Jakob Nickels Conferred 2025 Lyonel Art Award
»Jakob Nickels’ installation is based on the fictional character »1305«. He employs a variety of aesthetic strategies from pop culture, digital gaming, esotericism and art history. Flags, images, objects and photographs are combined to create multimedia memory spaces that blend references from the past and present with futuristic elements,« the jury noted in its statement. The jurors praised the confident interplay of a whole variety of media that together form »a contemporary reflection on power structures and the mechanisms of visual seduction. As autocratic systems and personality cults gain in strength, Nickels’ work also raises the question of the role art plays in society«.
Jakob Nickels (*1993 in Bremen) began his studies in fine art at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in 2019. The tension between concept and medium forms the focus of his artistic work. Public spaces, fictional worlds and aspects of painting are recurring themes. One emphasis of his practical work is the combination of analogue and digital processes. In photography and print, Jakob Nickels transforms painting ideas into hybrid pictorial spaces in which he combines traditional craftsmanship with digital and industrial production methods. This gives rise to visual constructs that interweave historical references with structures from the present-day consumer-driven culture.
The jury nominated a total of three graduates for the award this year. All of the final projects, including Jakob Nickels’ »Gentle Strength«, could be viewed during the summaery2025 as part of a group exhibition at Berkaer Straße 11 (12–8 p.m. on Saturday 13 July; 12–6 p.m. on Sunday 14 July).
Nominees for the 2025 Lyonel Art Award:
Sahrah Feyerabend, Jakob Nickels, Fabian Reetz
Jurors:
Mike Geßner (curator, Kunstraum Potsdam), Dr. Kassandra Nakas (art historian, Berlin) and Dr. Sabine Maria Schmidt (curator and author)
The exhibition was curated by a team from the »marke.6« student initiative for the fourth time. Artistic Associate Florian Hesselbarth was responsible for coordination.
About Lyonel e. V.:
Lyonel e. V. is a non-profit organisation that promotes art, design, and culture. It was initiated in 2019 by a group of regional entrepreneurs led by Dr. Sebastian Händschke, who currently sits on the board alongside Juliane Keith and Constanze Roth. Together, they work to support graduates of fine arts and artistic programmes. Lyonel e. V. confers the Lyonel Art Award in cooperation with the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. ACC Weimar, optiX fab GmbH from Jena, Frank Sonnabend from Erfurt and SPACEOPTIX GmbH from Issseroda sponsored this year’s prize.
(www.lyonel-kunstpreis.de; info@lyonel-kunstpreis.de)
In case of questions, please contact Romy Weinhold (Press & Public Relations Officer) from the Faculty of Art & Design by telephone (+49 36 43 58 11 86) or email (romy.weinhold[at]uni-weimar.de).