Iris Kojaman

Iris Nemecek, known artistically as Iris Kojaman, was born in Austria in 1981. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 2006 and has exhibited her work in numerous solo and group shows in Austria, Switzerland, and the United States. She has been represented by the "Black Dragon Society" gallery in Los Angeles and "Marc de Puechredon" in Basel, Switzerland. One of her recent solo exhibitions, "Jolly Roger," was held at the MUSA Museum in Vienna. Another of her previous solo exhibitions, "Blue Pool," at the Black Dragon Society, was reviewed in Flash Art Magazine and the LA Times. Shortly after, her work was showcased at the international art fair "Scoop Miami" and in exhibitions in New York and London. Kojaman has curated and organized exhibitions in Austria and Germany. She is one of the founders of "Duo Artedition."

A multi-instrumentalist in her youth, Iris Kojaman retains the aspect of musicality in her paintings, where the observer can visually embrace the sweet melodic composition they emanate. Her practice develops through the pictorial representation of everyday life extracts, where just a particular detail can generate a painting. Through prolonged work on elaborating the subject—painting, making collages, and then painting again—the magic remains suspended in the air like a juggler's ball. Thus, the depicted reality slowly changes. Moments derived from real life contain just a touch of magic, intense enough to be noticed, and whose absence creates an urgency to immortalize their memory through painting.

Often, Kojaman begins her work by painting on large sheets of paper; combined with using papers collected during her travels, she creates compositional collages that then serve as the basis for her paintings. These paper memories preserve the atmosphere of a place and are a recurring source of inspiration in all her canvases, expressed through a palette carefully developed throughout her painting career. In her work, understanding color and its expressiveness becomes a fundamental tool of representation. Kojaman expresses herself with a sense of freedom in depicting a moment that lasts forever through her slow and intense painting, producing a light-hearted imagery and an eternal sense of carefreeness.

Iris lives and works in Vienna and Eichgraben, Austria.

Solo Exhibitions:

2024 autumn// upcoming, Galerie Breyer, Baden

2023 Light and night, Haaskeusche, Friedlach 2012 Jolly Roger, MUSA Museum Vienna, Vienna

2008 Hell is is , VOL.6a Artproject, Vienna 2005 Blue Pool, Black Dragon Society, Los Angeles

Group Exhibitions:

2023 Through the looking glass, Auc Art, Fitzrovia Gallery, London

2022 Winter zweiundzwanzig, Kabinett Bäckergasse, Düsseldorf

2011 Imagine White, Vienna Art Week 2011, Vienna

2011 The kids are all right, Sommerakademie, Feldkirchen

2011 Tschip Tschip Tschip, Arsenal, Vienna

2010 Klaus weiß Bescheid: Eine Liveschaltung, GemmaKunstSchaun, Villach

2009 Wie James Dean, Artproject ZKK, Berlin 2009 We dissapear, Rathaus St.Veit a. d. Glan 2009 Zimmer.Küche.Kabinett. VOL.5, Artproject, Vienna

2008 Zimmer.Küche.Kabinett. VOL.4, Artproject, Vienna

2008 Zimmer.Küche.Kabinett. VOL.3, Artproject, Vienna

2008 Winter Accrochage, Marc de Puechredon, Basel

2008 Zimmer.Küche.Kabinett. VOL.2, Artproject, Vienna

2007 Zimmer.Küche.Kabinett. VOL.1, Artproject, Vienna

2006 10 plus 10, Marc de Puechredon, Basel 2006 Scope Miami, Marc de Puechredon, Miami 2006 LIVE, Marc de Puechredon @ Supreme Trading, New York

2006 Degreeexhibition, Academy of Fine Arts,Vienna

2006 Carneval des Animaux, Marc de Puechredon, Basel

2005 Junger Sommer 2005, Galerie Wolfgang Exner, Vienna

2005 Christmas in July, Black Dragon Society, Los Angeles

2005 Underage, Clifford Chance, New York

2005 Hommage a Picasso, Galerie Wolfgang Exner, Vienna

2004 Kaiserschmarren, Black Dragon Society, Los Angeles