Mónica Rikić

New Media Art - Creative Code

Electronic artist and Catalan National Culture Award 2021.

She develops her practice through code and creative electronics, combining them with non-digital objects to create interactive projects and robotic installations. Her interest lies in artistic research and critical thinking around alternative technologies and open hardware.

Her projects have been exhibited in different renowned national and international institutions and festivals for more than ten years. Her pieces are part of collections such as the .NewArt {foundation;}, the DKV Collection or the Col·lecció Nacional d’Art Contemporani de Catalunya.

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BIOGRAPHY

Electronic artist and creative coder. Born and based in Barcelona. Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts (UB). Master's degree in Digital Arts (UPF). Master's degree in Contemporary Philosophy (UOC). PhD student in the Doctorate in Networks and Information Technologies program (UOC).

The general interest of her artistic practice lies in the development of alternative technologies through creative coding and electronics. Mónica's proposals merge technology and philosophy through art, creating technological artifacts that are far from the need for any functionality or productivity, solely for the purpose of building critical devices that trigger thought and collective discussion.

Formally, her practice is based on producing handmade electronic objects and robots that embody different concepts from her research field, presenting themselves as theatrical devices. With these devices, Mónica aims to offer experiences that propose alternative ways of thinking about technology, robotics, and AI.

She has participated in various festivals worldwide such as Ars Electronica in Linz, Creative Tech Week in New York, Robotronica in Australia, or FILE in Brazil, among others, and has exhibited in local institutions such as CCCB, Arts Santa Mónica, La Capella, or Centro Disseny.

Mónica has been awarded the Catalan Culture Prize 2021, as well as the Japan Media Arts Festival, AMAZE Berlin, the Margaret Guthman Musical Instruments Competition in Atlanta, and a Leonardo grant from the BBVA Foundation. She has participated in artistic residencies at Technoculture, Arts and Games in Montreal, European Media Artists in Residence Exchange (EMARE) at QUT (Australia) and Hexagram (Montreal), Medialab Prado in Madrid, Platohedro in Medellín, and Etopía in Zaragoza, as part of the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab program.

CURRICULUM

SOLO SHOWS

> 2023. Sonar+D. AI & Web Creatives Summit. Barcelona. Spain.
> 2023. Solo exhibition at Capella de Sant Corneli. Cardedeu.
> 2023. EMAP Residency at Hexagram, Montreal. Canada.
> 2023. Hipertèlia. Solo exhibition. BCN Producció. La Capella, Barcelona.
> 2021-2025. Homo Ludens. Videojuegos para entender el presente. Caixaforum, different locations in Spain.
> 2023. Máquina Orgánica. Canal Connect. Teatros Canal, Madrid. Spain.
> 2022. Ars Electronica Festival. Exhibition and Panel. Linz
> 2022. NOVA Festival. Bucharest. Romania.
> 2022. ISEA2022 Barcelona Exhibition. La Capella, Barcelona.
> 2021. Xarkis Festival, Cypruss.
> 2022. Contested Desires exhibition, Newcastle. UK.
> 2022. Resident artist in the European project Contested Desires
> 2022. La c(AI)xa de música infinita, Palau de la Música. Barcelona. Spain.
> 2022. Homo Ludens. Videojuegos para entender el presente. Caixaforum. Barcelona. Spain.
> 2022. La tradició que en travessa. Arts Santa Mònica, Barcelona. Spain.
> 2021. ESPIRALESPAI. Solo exhibition at La Volta, Girona, Italy.
> 2021. Homo Ludens. Videojuegos para entender el presente. Caixaforum. Madrid. Spain.
> 2021. VisionarIAs – European ARTificial Intelligence Lab. Etopia Centro de Arte y Tecnología. Zaragoza.
> 2021. NEO Cosmocaixa. Barcelona. Spain.
> 2020. Enacting Innovation participatory performance with Friedrich Kirschner, Judith Igelsböck, Sarah Buser, Tomás Montes, Leoni Voegelin and Laura Zoelzer. Ars Electronica. Linz
> 2020. New Home of Mind, new work exhibited in Ars Santa Mònica for Ars Electronica Garden. Barcelona. Spain.
> 2020. CAFCA* Festival. Oviedo.
> 2020. Gameplay. Videogame Culture. CCCB, Barcelona. Spain.
> 2019. Sensorium Festival. Bratislava, Slovakia.
> 2019. Silbersalz Festival. Halle, Germany.
> 2019. Mobile World Week Exhibition. Disseny Hub, Barcelona. Spain.
> 2018. ARTEFACTES. Solo exhibition for Womart at Museu de Granollers.
> 2018. FILE Bello Horizonte 2018.
> 2017. FILE Brasilia 2017 .
> 2017. Interactive theater piece Harinera, Fira Tàrrega. Tàrrega, Lleida.
> 2017. Interactive piece for DGTL Festival. Barcelona. Spain.
> 2016. Ars Electronica Festival, Radical Atoms. Linz.
> 2016. Creative Technology Week, New York. United States.
> 2015. Salon : Data, Eastern Bloc, Montreal. Canada.
> 2015. Werkleitz Festival 2015, Halle (Saale).
> 2015. Robotronica. QUT, Brisbane.
> 2015. Ars Electronica Center, Linz.
> 2015. Disseny per viure, Museu del Disseny, Barcelona. Spain.
> 2013. U19 – Ars Electronica, Linz.
> 2013. FILE GAMES, Rio de Janeiro. Brasil.
> 2013. 7th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, Barcelona. Spain.
> 2012. FILE Festival, Sao Paulo. Brasil.
> 2011. SonarKids, multimedia art and sound festival. MACBA, Barcelona. Spain.

AWARDS

> 2020. VisionarIAs – Artistic residency. European ARTificial Intelligence Lab. Etopia Centro de Arte y Tecnología. Zaragoza.
> 2020. Production and Exhibition Grants by Institut Ramon Llull, NewArtFoundation and Hangar
> 2018-2020. Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators. Fundación BBVA.
> 2020. Speaker at A MAZE. Festival, Berlin.
> 2018-2020. Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators. Fundación BBVA.
> 2019. Digital Naturalism Conference. Gamboa, Panamá.
> 2018. Artistic residency at Medialab Prado. Madrid.
> 2018. Dinacon – The Digital Naturalism Conference. Thailand.
> 2018. Artistic residency at Platohedro. Medellín, Colombia.
> 2017. Residency ‘Suport a la creació’ to develop the interactive theater piece Harinera, at Fira Tàrrega. Tàrrega, Lleida.
> 2017. Sónar Innovation Challenge.
> 2016. Invited Artist at Videosonica, Cali, Colombia.
> 2016. The Conduit. Collaboration with Friedrich Kirschner in his Transmit3 Residency (Ars ElectronicaFuture Lab and QUT The Cube) with The Society for Cultural Optimism. Berlin/Linz. Germany.
> 2016. Award nomination at A MAZE. Festival, Berlin. Germany.
> 2016. Jury Selection at 19th Japan Media Arts Festival
> 2015. Critical Hit. TAG Research Centre – Concordia University, Montreal. Canada. > 2015. Interactivos? 15 – Futures at play, Media Art Futures, Murcia.
> 2015. Semi finalist at the Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, Georgia Tech, Atlanta. United States.
> 2014. Move On: European Media Artists in Residence Exchange at QUT Residency. Brisbane.