Roman Ondak (Slovakia)
Born in 1966, Zilina
Now residing in Bratislava

Solo Exhibitions
2008 Measuring the Universe, DAAD Gallery, Berlin
2007 My Summer Shoes Rest in Winter, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
2006 It Will All Turnout Right in the End, Tate Modern, London
2004 Passage, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Kitakyushu
2004 Spirit and Opportunity, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne

Group Exhibitions
2006 How to Live Together, the 27 th Biennial São Paulo, São Paulo
2005 Universal Experience, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
2004 Time and Again, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
2003 Utopia Station, the 50 th Venice Biennial, Venice
2000 Manifesta 3, Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana

Artwork of 7th Shanghai Biennale
Measuring the Universe︱Performance at Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich︱2007 Collection Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
Roman Ondak is an artist whose work is rooted in daily life and who takes often overlooked situations and unremarkable events as the point of departure for his artistic interventions. His focus is on the hopes and dreams of people that are hidden under the weight of everyday activities and that he extricates from routine and anonymity. Ondak’s approach is often performative and he involves numerous players in his works – from friends and acquaintances to the staff of whole companies. The results can take the form of a sublime, or memorable performance in an everyday situation, of photographs and films, or of material additions and products. Measuring the Universe was inspired by the way that so many people like to leave graffiti of their names in the places they visit, as tourists for instance. However, this work takes the form of a carefully devised process that will continue for the duration of the exhibition. Any visitor who would like to do so, can ask the attendant to make a short line on the wall recording their height, which will then be marked with their name and the date. As time passes an ever denser wall drawing will come into being that could ultimately be almost entirely black. The work itself is a bridge between the individual and the masses. It is a poetic play on the notion that the true measure of the universe is a multitude of individual people.
Julian Heynen