Nina Kurtela (born 1981 in Zagreb) is conceptual artist working with choreographic and site-specific practices. Through her immaterial and time-based art practice she works with methodologies of endurance, perseverance and daily practice while questioning notions of labor, identity, belonging, home and its fictions. She creates works across a wide range of forms; namely video, installation, performance, choreography and dance.
Her work is presented internationally in a variety of contexts – in museums and galleries, theater, dance and film festivals, and in public space: KW Berlin, MUMOK Vienna, MSU Zagreb, HKW Berlin, 104 Paris, Tokyo Opera City Gallery, Royal Albert Hall London, Ars Aevi Sarajevo, Tanz Im August Berlin, Transmediale Berlin, Oberhausen Film Festival, Survival Kit Riga, X-border Art Biennial Sweden etc.
She was granted residencies at: Amant Sienna, Q21 MuseumsQuartier Vienna, Cite internationale des arts Paris, THAV Taipei, HIAP Helsinki, GeoAIR Tbilisi, CEC ArtsLink Portland Oregon, KulturKontakt Austria Vienna. And received following awards: Japanese Media Arts New Face Award Tokyo, X-border Art Biennial Award Sweden, Henkel Art Award (Young Artist’s Prize CEE) Vienna, Essl Art Award CEE Vienna. In 2018 She was nominated for Berlin Art Prize.
She studied “Dance, Context, Choreography” at the HZT, Universität der Künste Berlin and holds a diploma (MFA) in visual arts and art education from The Academy of Fine Arts Zagreb.
She is a founder of Zagreb based art organization Jagoda – practice and research based platform for opening up new fields of communication and exchange through innovative art practices.