Martine Neddam

Martine Neddam (born 27 January 1953 in Oran ) is a visual artist, research scientist and professor. She is a native of France and lives and works in Amsterdam. She teaches at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM)

Education Martine Neddam studied linguistics and literature in Lyon, France from 1975 to 1979 and stage design from 1983 to 1984 at the School of Architecture in Lyon, France. From 1988 to 1989 she studied at the Institut des Hautes Etudes at the Arts Plastiques in Paris. She also created large-scale public commissions in several European countries, including in the Netherlands, France and Great Britain.

Early works - Text objects and light sculptures

Neddam uses language in a triangular relationship between the author, communication, and reader as the starting point for her installations and projects. This relationship plays a crucial role in her artworks, from the early text-based drapery works such as 'Connard' or 'Arache-moi' to 'Walk on Me' and 'La Scala'. Her sculptures incorporate light, which creates subtle and almost immaterial effects. Neddam's sculptures are visually enhanced by the use of direct and personal language, adding depth and dimension to the artwork. The viewer's attention is drawn to the artwork through the use of direct language. The viewer's attention is drawn to the artwork through the use of direct language.

In 1992, Neddam was commissioned to create a work titled 'Marche sur moi' (Walk on me) for the cupola of the Municipal Museum in Arnhem. The installation features words on the floor and wall panels that engage in a dialogue with each other and the viewer.

The words are: Walk over me, step over me, stamp on me, crush me, dirty me, sully me, again, and again and again.

The wall text says in response: “Me too, me too …” Neddam used early Web 2.0 features for this project, and Mouchette has since become a cult icon. Neddam has created various works exploring the character's identity and impact. Neddam created Mouchette after being inspired by Robert Bresson's film of the same name. Mouchette.org presents virtual characters that investigate language and representation, with the viewer as a participant and responder.

In 2001, Neddam created David Still.

In recent years, Neddam has abandoned the anonymity associated with virtual characters.

Works (Selection)

1991 Connard 1992 Walk On Me 1993 La Scala 1993 Illumination…The Great…Meaning 1994 Teylers Museum Haarlem (text label) 1994 There is No Copyright on Laws 1995 Ooit 1996 Mouchette 2001 David Still 2006 XiaoQian 2008 Virtual Person 2014 My Desktop Life

Exhibitions (Selection)

1987: Maison des Expositions de Genas, Frankreich 1988: Galerie La Tournelle, Poet-Laval, Frankreich 1988: Galerie Didier Michallet, Lyon, Frankreich 1989: Galerie Tany Rumpff, Haarlem, Niederlande 1990: Centre d'Art Contemporain, Brüssel, Belgien 1990: Maison du Livre, de l'image et du son, Villeurbanne, Frankreich 1991: Galerie Tanya Rumpff, Haarlem, die Niederlande 1992: Galerie Verney-Carron, Villeurbanne, Frankreich - Gemeentemuseum Arnheim - Galerie de Zaal, Delft 1993: Galerie De Meerse, Hoofddorp 1994: Französisches Institut in Edinburgh, Schottland 1994: Teylers Museum, Haarlem 1995: Schottische Nationalgalerie, Edinburgh, Schottland 1998: Musée Lamartine, Mâcon, Frankreich 2011: La Biennale de Montréal, Canada 2013: KITAKYUSHU BIENNIAL 2013 i information / SIngapore The Private Museum 2014: ZKM Karlsruhe - ArtOnYourScreen (AOYS), Germany 2016: Whitechapel Gallery, London, England 2018/2020: Stedelijk Museum, Netherlands 2023: Nieuwe Institut Rotterdam, Netherlands

Prizes and Awards (Selection)

1988: Light artwork for a facade in Vénissieux, Frankrijk 1991: Light artwork for a tunnel, Night Lines, Utrecht 2004: Work scholarship Edit-Ruß-Haus for Media Art in Oldenburg