Artists in Residence 2014

Composition

Matej Bonin, graduated in composition at the Music Academy of Ljubljana under the mentorship of Prof. Uroš Rojko. He continues his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, where he is studying music theater-composition in the class of Prof. Beat Furrer. His music studies abroad are supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.
For his work he was awarded the Prešeren Prize of the University of Ljubljana in 2008, and according to composer and conductor Peter Eötvös' recommendation he won the Gargonza Arts Award 2014. His orchestral piece "Cancro" was awarded first prize in the category "under 30" at the 62nd International Rostrum of Composers (IRC).
He collaborates with renowned international soloists and ensembles (Ensemble Modern , violist Megumi Kasakawa, hornist Saar Berger, accordionist Luka Juhart, singer Irena Tomažin, RTV Simphony Orchestra, Savasa Trio, Percussion duo Drumartica, Slowind quintet, and many others).
He is also writing music for dance theater, and collaborates with choreographers Mirjam Klebel and Tomaž Simatovic.

Architecture & Baukunst

Frank Illing was born in Annaberg-Buchholz in 1986. Following his apprenticeship to become assistant in technical design and receiving the advanced technical certificate for design in Dresden Frank took his Bachelor's degree in Architecture and Urban Development at the Polytechnic Potsdam. Here he also worked in product design and typography. In 2012 he entered the Baukunst class of Karl-Heinz Petzinka at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. A year later he was awarded the first prize "Upcycling Berlin" - a contest of the HOWOGE Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH and the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. In 2014 he won both the „Mercedes-Benz Kunst Award Düsseldorf 2014" and the interdisciplinary Gargonza Arts Award.

Literatur

Maren Kames, born 1984 in Überlingen/Bodensee, took a degree in cultural sciences, philosophy, literature and theatrical sciences in Tübingen and Leipzig as well as Creative Writing and cultural journalism in Hildesheim. From 2011 to 2013 she was co-editor to the literary magazine BELLA triste.
In 2013 she won the jury's prize for poetry and the audience's prize at the Open Mike in Berlin with excerpts from her manuscript HALB TAUBE HALB PFAU (Half dove half peacock). In 2014 she was awarded both the interdisciplinary Gargonza Arts artists' residency of three months in Tuscany and the 18th Klagenfurt Literaturkurs.
She was invited to the International Literature Festival Berlin, to the Literaturfest Bern and to the Literature Festival PROSANOVA 2014, where she set up a performance of the audiopiece 'against:blank' in a specially designed space.

Bildende Kunst

Christian Seidler was born in Leverkusen in 1985. After taking a degree in Biology at the University of Bonn he changed over to the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf to study painting. From 2007 until 2015 he attended Prof. Herbert Brandl's class and was named 'Meisterschüler' (master student) in 2012. In February 2015 he successfully finished his studies in Free Art and obtained the 'Akademiebrief'.
Several exhibitions followed - among them in the galleries Bechter Kastowsky in Vienna and Heinz Holtmann in Cologne. The ART magazine writes on the exhibition 'The Masters of The Northern Lights' by Bechter Kastowsky that Christian Seidler 'does experimental research within the field of painting. When he exchanges his brush with a gas burner he does not intend to imitate historic models but to experience the actual material in his medium of painting in an unartificial direct manner.'

Website of Christian Seidler