J. KIMO ARBAS
| www.KimoArbas.com | ArbasArt at gmail.com |
ABOUT:
“...Kimo Arbas’s work straddles the ancient and primeval to the postmodern and cybernetic world of technology. His metaphors allow us to fall into the space of meditation where we become part of the space of the performance, even as audience. Here the voice becomes a significant element because of its relationship to the body. It is here where Kimo’s practice extends not only aesthetically but politically as it advances a world view often used to support a political critique of modernism and it’s blind allegiance to the domain of human rational thought. The dynamic movement of images in Kimo’s performances and the meditative drone of the voice call up a pre-colonial world that still exists and has not been displaced by colonialism and Imperialism. This is a sentiment that cherishes the protection of a pre-Enlightenment understanding of the world. But it is not a retreat into superstition, but a movement forward into science fiction. This dance with the unknown does not open up the opportunity for dogmatism, instead it opens up the vistas of unknown futures and celebrates the idea of change, particularly as a way of unpacking received ideas particularly about reality. In Kimo’s world, human cognition and thought is unified with the purely material and sensible properties of matter. Kimo is among a very few artists who treats the sensible as a politicized experience. Perhaps he feels the experience of the sensible is the location of the spiritual, not so much the religious idea of spirit, more so an existential construct. We can only arrive there by participating in some type of scripted and disciplined process, not by denying discipline in favor of an unfettered, interiorized subjectivity, more like a deconstruction of the space of objects and language. Traditionally it is thought that the undisciplined space is where our intuitions and imagination lie. Kimo expands this by displacing the interior subjectivity with destabilizing forces that exist in matter but is constantly trying to explode matter into tiny pieces. He achieves this by ritualizing matter and sound and treating them as proof of transcendence over thought. For it is suggested in his practice that this abstract space of reality is both instrumental and instructional in advancing the critical and aesthetic interests of an entire planet. Here I imagine Kimo would probably disagree; his is a more relativist world where the idea of change is fundamental and core in our assessment of not only a “true” reality but also provides us with the ability to form a morality and ethics that are deeply rooted in art and artistic practice by virtue of the fact that in art we make the invisible visible.”
Charles Gaines
Charles Gaines has written a number of academic texts including: "Reconsidering Metaphor/Metonymy: Art and the Suppression of Thought", Art Lies, Issue 64 (Winter/2009); "Ben Patterson: The History of Gray Matter From the Avant-garde to the Postmodern", a catalog essay for an exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (November 2010); and Kerry James Marshall, London: Phaidon Press, 2017. Gaines received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grant in 1977. He received a California Community Foundation (CCF)[15] in 2011, and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013. Gaines received the CalArts REDCAT Award in 2018[16] and was awarded the 60th annual Edward MacDowell Medal in 2019.[17]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gaines_(artist)
“Kimo Arbas works in the liminal nexus space of technology, art, expression and spirituality. His works explore space and time as well as materiality. From live musical performances fusing spiritual and ancient sounds with mixology and live performance to work with perception and cognition, his work threads the new without the unnecessary utopic shine so often overly implied in the realm both of avant garde constructs and of technological progression and expression. New media and digital art are seeing something of an arguable renaissance at this moment in the art world internationally, but not without the usual growing pains. Digital painting is at times being touted as a new vanguard not of aesthetics, color theory and compositional dynamics. The impressionists were seen as too radical and threatening with light moving beyond traditional formalism. New is a complex and loaded semiotics in art and beyond. Kimo works in a space both current and ancient, of what is possible and the rich vein and thread of history. This is crucial in exhibition as well as the long tail dialogue of movements and periods in art history. He is exploring perception, cognition, mental states as well as the tensions and release of things tied to place, the site specific and the performative.”
Jeremy Hight
Jeremy Hight is a peer reviewer and Judge for ISEA - international society for the electronic arts and an independent curator. His art criticism and reviews have been published internationally in many journals, exhibition materials and books. His digital art is now in many archives including the Whitney Museum digital archive.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS/PERFORMANCES/PRESENTATIONS:
GROUP SHOWS:
2023 Public mural “K984” (aprox. 3x5.5 meters), Kalnieciu park, Kaunas, Lithuania
2023 Site time specific Contemporary Baltic religion™ lecture/discussion and sacral performance with voice performance. Seven trunk linden national monument at Baltic Burning man event. Undisclosed location, Lithuania.
2022 Site time specific Contemporary Baltic religion™ lecture/discussion and sacral performance. Undisclosed location, Lithuania.
2021 Public mural, at Namunas river, old town Kaunas, Lithuania.
2021 Site time specific Contemporary Baltic religion™ sacral rite and vocal music performance with band Veliu Namai™. Kilkim Zaibu festival, Varniai, Lithuania.
2021 Public mural, Bahnwärter Thiel. Munich, Germany.
2021 Site time specific Contemporary Baltic religion™ sacral performance and choreographed main bonfire ritual. Kilkim Zaibu festival, Varniai, Lithuania.
2020/2021 “Interweaving Change” Curated by BMW foundation Herbert Quandt and State Studio.
2020 Technology art presentation (experiential electroencephalography, design, mental states and mortality), Innovation World Cup Europe, WT conference at ISPO. International Congress Center Munich, Munich, Germany.
2019 Site time specific Baltic sacral performance (June 20, 21:43). Kilkim Zaibu festival, Varniai, Lithuania
2019 Technology art presentation (deadly cognition), Wolves Summit, Warsaw, Poland
2019 Vocal performance with band Veliu Namai™, Yaga festival, Ezeraitis Forest, Varena, Lithuania
2019 Site time specific Baltic sacral performance, Yaga festival, Ezeraitis Forest, Varena, Lithuania
2019 Technology art presentation (neuroscience and economics), Arctic15 conference, Helsinki, Finland.
2019 Site time specific Baltic sacral performance (Equinox), Baltic mythology park, Darbenai, Lithuania
2019 Technology art presentation (art of functional neuroscience), MEDICA conference. Dusseldorf, Germany
2019/2018 Technology art presentation (the economics of mental states), Spitze Bleiben conference, Munich, Berlin, Germany
2019 “Baltu Krivule” Site time specific Baltic sacral presentation, Prussian-Jotvingian settlement reconstruction site Osada, Punsk region, Poland; curated by Romuva
2018 Technology art presentation (Electroencephalography and economics) Slush Conference, Helsinki, Finland.
2018 Technology art presentation (neuroscience, mental states and a false perception of safety), Katapult Future Fest, Oslo, Norway.
2018 Technology art presentation (economics of cognition), Pioneers Summit, Vienna, Austria.
2018 Technology art presentation (deadly cognition), Webit conference, Sofia, Bulgaria
2018 Technology art presentation (misdirected cognition), Wolves Summit, Warsaw, Poland.
2017 "AWAKENING (composition number 2)"video/sound installation, a season specific piece, landscape portrait and sacred Altar to the rebirth of Earths Northern hemisphere. International exhibition "Contemporary landscape Part 2", CICA contemporary art museum, Gimpo, South Korea. https://cicamuseum.com/contemporary-landscape/
2017 "Inverted Hallucination" video/sound loop. Galerie am Meer, "Play video & performance festival" biennial, Düsseldorf, Germany. Curated by Galerie Falko Alexander and CATCologne. http://www.festival-play.de/
2017 Street art murals “K984's” and “monster 8's” in the film “Fack Ju Goethe 3” (largest box office German film at $64,236,772 [08/20/2019, 17:39]) Munich, Germany; written and directed by Bora Dagtekin
2017 “K984 - AntimatterCyclone”, sound art presentation, Menuo Juodaragis XX, Duburys island, Zarasai district, Lithuania; curated by Ugnius Lioge & MJR
2017 "AWAKENING (composition number 3)" video/sound installation. Ex-Capitol Theater Worringer Platz, "Play video & performance festival" biennial, Düsseldorf, Germany. Curated by Galerie Falko Alexander and CATCologne. http://www.festival-play.de/portfolio/kimo-arbas/
2017 Technology art presentation (port automation and cognition), PortXL, Rotterdam Port, Netherlands.
2016 “Jore” site time specific Baltic sacral presentation, Lithuanian museum of ethno cosmology, Moletai, Lithuania; curated by Moletai Romuva
2016 “Reflection - a Dada of Dada” Site time context specific performance and Baltic sacral rite. Manifesta 11 – The European Biennial of Contemporary Art – What People Do For Money – Reflection; Cabarét der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire, 100th anniversary of DADA, Cabarét Voltaire, Zürich, Switzerland; curated by Christian Jankowski & Manuel Scheiwiller. https://m11.manifesta.org/en/artist/kimo-arbas [10/20/2017, 10:25]
2014 “A Blessing”, site time specific Baltic sacral performance. Ye olde hushe clubbe, Hyperion Tavern, Los Angeles, California; curated by Don Bolles and Nora Keyes
2014 “Milda (the prehistoric Lithuanian Goddess of Love)” day, site time specific Baltic sacral performance, Ye olde hushe clubbe, Hyperion Tavern, Los Angeles, California; curated by Don Bolles and Nora Keyes
2009 Drugelio Efektas – The Butterfly Effect, collaboration with Karen Kerkhoven; AURA – Kaunas Dance Theatre, Kaunas, Lithuania; Bankstown Town Hall, Bankstown-Sidney, New South Wales, Australia
2008 Conventions & Attitudes – Exchange Rate, Remy’s on Temple, Los Angeles, USA; curated by Karen Atkinson & Elana Mann
2008 Conventions & Attitudes – Exchange Rate, Habeas Lounge, The City University of New York, USA; curated by Karen Atkinson & Elana Mann
2005 “Fungal Kingdom” sound art presentation, Menuo Juodaragis IX, Kernave, Lithuania; curated by Ugnius Lioge.
2004/2000 Sound art presentation and performance art “Fungal Kingdom” The Viper room, Troubadour, Roxy, Coconut teaser, Mr. T’s ballroom, the Knitting factory, guerilla/underground venues and other locations. In and surrounding Los Angeles, USA
2001 Radical Political Film Festival, Palace Theatre; Los Angeles, USA
2001 Silverlake Film Festival – Take It Out On the City, Vista Theatre; Hollywood, CA, USA
2001 “K984 the FungalKingdom” sound art presentation, Menuo Juodaragis V, Sudeikiai, Lithuania; curated by Ugnius Lioge
1999 Divine Intervention, Art Kitchen; Los Angeles, USA; curated by Karen Finley
1999 Video and Film Screening, Anthology Film Archives, New York, USA; curated by Jonas Mekas
1998 What´s New In The Avant-Garde?, Anthology Film Archives; New York, USA; curated by Jonas Mekas
1998 Rundgang, Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Berlin, Germany; curated by Heinz Emigholz, Elfi Mikesch & John Burgan
1997 Gyvas nes Gyva, Alabama Kino, Hamburg, Germany; curated by Heinz Emigholz, Elfi Mikesch & John Burgan
1997 Untitled, Drawing-Installation, Kampnagel, Hamburg, Germany; curated by Heinz Emigholz, Elfi Mikesch & John Burgan
SOLO SHOWS:
2016 AWAKENING, Installation, Post gallery; Kaunas, Lithuania
2009 Inverted Hallucinations, Kiev Art Center CEX; Kiev, Ukraine; curated by The Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania,
2008 Conversations with Space, Shota Rustaveli Cinema and Theater University; Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia; curated by The Ministry of Culture and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
2001 …People too. Anthology Film Archives; New York, USA; curated by Jonas Mekas
1999 Inverted Hallucination, main entrance exterior ground level; California Institute of the Arts; Valencia, California
1998 Looky Looky, lime gallery; California Institute of the Arts; Valencia, California
1997 URBIA, main gallery; California Institute of the Arts; Valencia, California
AWARDS/GRANTS:
2023 Status of Art Creator. Granted by the Ministry of culture of the Republic of Lithuania under article 7 of the law on the status of Creator and art creator organization. March 2023, Republic of Lithuania.
2022 Member, International society of professional artists. Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK). www.igbk.de
2021 Artificial Intelligence Awards 2021 - Vehicle Driver/Operator Safety, Wearables Innovators of the Year 2021. 1st place, Corporate Vision - Artificial Intelligence Awards 2021. https://www.corporatevision-news.com/awards/artificial-intelligence-awards-2021/ November 2021.
2021 Member, BBK National Association of Artists - Munich and Oberbayern. www.bbk-muc-obb.de
2020 Member, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt Responsible Leaders Network. https://bmw-foundation.org/en/our-work/responsible-leaders-network/
2020 Finalist, Innovation World Cup Europe 2020, WT conference EU20 at ISPO. International Congress Center Munich, Munich, Germany.
2019 Technology Patent, “System and method to detect alertness...” A system and method relate to receiving, by a processing device, at least one stream of data captured by at least one sensor monitoring a human subject, wherein the at least one stream of data comprises sensor measurements, comparing the sensor measurements to at least one model of a mental state. (Priority 2014-03-18, Filed 2017-05-01, Granted 2019-08-20, Published 2019-08-20)
2019 Technology competition finalist (Nordic Angel Program, top 6 of 200+), Arctic15 conference, Helsinki, Finland.
2019 Technology competition finalist. Wolves Summit, Warsaw, Poland.
2019 European Commision “Erasmus for young entrepreneurs” exchange grant. Stockholm, Sweden.
2018 Finalist and awarded membership in “the Slush100” one of the top 100 technologies at Slush Conference, Helsinki, Finland.
2018 Finalist, “one of most promising impact technologies”, Katapult Future Fest, Oslo, Norway.
2018 One of most promising technologies, Pioneers Summit, Vienna, Austria.
2018 “one of the world’s most impactful and promising technology founders and entrepreneurs”, “to re:Invent Europe’s Future”, at Webit Conference, Sofia, Bulgaria.
2018 One of most promising technologies, Wolves Summit, Warsaw, Poland.
2016 ICT startup and innovation competition, Erasmus for young entrepreneurs, 1st place winner, InfoBalt; Vilnius, Lithuania
2014 Pilot Angel, AT&T Developer Summit -Winner, CES 2014; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
2013 Ordained minister, State of California, USA
2009 Vypsone, Art-o-thlon - International Championship of Arts, 1 st place winner; VILNIUS’09 – European Capital of Culture 2009 / European School of Arts / European Commission; Vilnius, Lithuania
2009 Gaivalas, Art-o-thlon - International Championship of Arts, 1 st place winner; VILNIUS’09 – European Capital of Culture 2009 / European School of Arts / European Commission; Vilnius, Lithuania
2009 Zemynos krutine – Devyne Ragis, Art-o-thlon - International Championship of Arts, 1 st place winner; VILNIUS’09 – European Capital of Culture 2009 / European School of Arts / European Commission; Vilnius Lithuania
2005 Vaidila of North America. Vilnius, Lithuania; Appointed and anointed by Krivis Jonas “Jaunius” Trinkunas and Romuva (a Vaidila is analogous to a Roman Catholic Cardinal and a Krivis is analogous to a Roman Catholic Pope in the Lithuanian Baltic religion.)
1997-99 CalArts Project Grants, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, USA
1997-98 Project Grant, Berlin University of the Arts, Berlin, Germany
1996-99 CalArts Scholarship, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, USA
VISITING ARTIST LECTURES/WORKSHOPS:
2022 Workshop, Dominyko Atostogos – Kino Stoyklas (Film Camp) organized by Vytautas V. Landsbergis; Anykciai, Lithuania
2016 Workshop, Dominyko Atostogos – Kino Stoyklas (Film Camp) organized by Vytautas V. Landsbergis; Vilnius, Lithuania
2008 Lecture and Workshop, Grafitti Art, Techniques & Theory, Vilnius Academy of Art – VDA, Kaunas – faculty, Kaunas, Lithuania
2005 Lecture and Performance, On contemporary Performance Art, Vilnius Academy of Art -VDA
2005 Lecture and Discussion, On American Art & Education, VDU – Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuanian Emigration Institute and Art Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania
2005 Lecture and Discussion, On Personal Art Work and American Art Education, Tartu Art College, Tartu, Estonia
PRESS/INTERVIEWS:
RADIO/TELEVISION:
2016 Jurgė Pridotkaitė, Interview “Kimo Arbas – Awakening”, 7 Kauno dienos, LRT Kultūra, April 20, 2016; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbPNTuXiGQ [09/18/2016, 17:57]
ONLINE:
2020 Forbes, Martin Meister, Gudrun Zechner, “SMARTISIERUNG - WIE GEHT ES WEITER?”, Forbes (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), February 27, 2020; https://www.forbes.at/artikel/smartisierung-wie-geht-es-weiter.html [08/05/2020, 06:39]
2016 Živilė MIkalauskaitė, “IT profesionalai apdovanojo startuolį, gelbėsiantį gyvybes”, INFOBALT naujienos, August 10, 2016; https://www.infobalt.lt/lt/naujienos/i/897 [09/18/2016, 18:37]
2016 Echo Gone Wrong, “Reflection by Kimo Arbas at Manifesta 11” Baltics Outside Baltics, July 29, 2016.http://echogonewrong.com/reflection-by-kimo-arbas-at-manifesta-11/ [06/10/2018, 15:07]
2016 “GLL Members: Kimo Arbas’ Amazing Diversity and Creativity”, Global Lithuanian Leaders, April 29, 2016; http://www.lithuanianleaders.org/page/news/gll-members-kimo-arbas-amazing-diversity-and-creativity [09/18/2016, 19:30]
2016 Minami K & Mari L, “命を救うヘッドギア“,Hipstarters.com, June 14, 2016; http://www.hipstarters.com [09/18/2016, 21:37]
2014 “This headset prevents plane crashes, and 5 other ideas for surprising wearable technology” Fast Company, 2014. https://www.fastcompany.com/3024628/this-headset-prevents-plane-crashes-and-5-other-ideas-for-surprising-wearable-tech [08/17/2023, 18:49]
2011 Audronė Simanonytė, “Kalifornijoje gyvenantis K.Arbas: jei ne hip hopas, kažin, ar būčiau gyva”, DELFI.lt, December 8, 2011; http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/emigrants/kalifornijoje-gyvenantis-karbas-jei-ne-hip-hopas-kazin-ar-buciaugyvas.d?id=51551407 [09/18/2016, 18:53]
2008 Unknown,„Rückbesinnung auf Litauens heidnische Tradition“, Neue Züricher Zeitung, July 3, 2008; http://www.nzz.ch/rueckbesinnung-auf-litauens-heidnische-tradition-1.774997 [09/18/2016, 18:06]
2007 Milda Kinežaitė, “J.Kimo Arbas: nuo Havajų iki Lietuvos”, Lietuvos žinios, May 12, 2007; http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/zmones/j-kimo-arbas-nuo-havaju-iki-lietuvos/108748, [09/18/2016, 17:30]
PRINT MEDIA:
2020 “Smartization - Whats next?”, Forbes, 2020, https://www.forbes.at/artikel/smartisierung-wie-geht-es-weiter.html [08/17/2023, 18:45]
2014 “This headset prevents plane crashes, and 5 other ideas for surprising wearable technology” Fast Company, 2014. https://www.fastcompany.com/3024628/this-headset-prevents-plane-crashes-and-5-other-ideas-for-surprising-wearable-tech [08/17/2023, 18:49]
2010 Idėjų vulkanas Kimo Arbas: „Geriausia filosofija – pagarba”, Kulturos Barai, 2010, No.5.41 http://www.kulturosbarai.lt/uploads/news/id18/KB_2010_5_pdf.pdf [09/18/2016, 16:50]
2001 Deborah Vankin, “Is Anybody Listening?”, LA Weekly, front page article, May 9, 2001; http://www.laweekly.com/news/is-anybody-listening-2133321 [09/18/2016, 17:39]
EDUCATION:
2020 Certificate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Out of the crisis, into the unknown” MIT Sloan
2000 BFA, Fine Art, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, USA (Thomas Lawson, Michael Asher, Darcy Heubler, Mark Trayle, Wadada Leo Smith, Nyoman Wenten, Eric Sherman)
1998 Experimental Film Design, Berlin University of the Arts, Berlin, Germany (Heinz Emigholz, John Burgan, Elfi Mikesch)
J. Kimo Arbas ©