Carsten Nicolai (b. Karl-Marx-Stadt, today Chemnitz, Germany, 1965), is a visual artist, composer and musician who lives and works in Berlin and Chemnitz. In his work Nicolai seeks to overcome a separation of art forms and genres for an integrated artistic approach. Influenced by scientific reference systems, Nicolai often engages mathematic and cybernetic patterns such as grids and codes, as well as error, random and self-organising structures. His works have been shown at national and international major exhibitions in galleries and museums. Nicolai has released albums under the pseudonyms noto and alva noto which he has presented at live shows, as well as produced numerous scores for films. He has cooperated with renowned composers and musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ryoji Ikeda, Michael Nyman and Mika Vainio, as well as with diverse orchestras for modern music, such as Ensemble Modern, BCN 216 and zeitkratzer. The Vinyl Factory first collaborated with Nicolai in 2015 to stage the UK premiere of the artist’s audiovisual installation unicolor, which was subsequently re-staged at 180 Studios in 2021 as part of the immersive art exhibition LUX. The Vinyl Factory has released several records with Nicolai, including bausatz noto and Random Groove.
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