Zahar Bondar was born in 1992 in Daugavpils, Latvia to two circus artists. His art practice is strongly process-oriented and emphasises concepts of balance and precarity, engaging with topics revolving around bodily movement, the performative use of objects and space, and the dialogue between these. His latest projects deal with the re-elaboration of historical events to offer alternative readings of the past, while simultaneously offering perspectives on both the present and the future.

 

Performing at Kunsten Lab, Deventer

Performing at Raus, at Coehoornpark, Arnhem

During the Hoogtij and Museumnacht me and Alex Andropolous used my exhibition at Heden as props where we staged a 30-min performance engaging the audience in a performative tour through the gallery

 

performing with Alex Andropolous for West, Den Haag @ UIT festival

Opening performance with Alex Andropolous @ “the new reach” by Ad de Jong  De School / Amsterdam , Nl

Performance @ “CASS Concert" Koninklijk Conservatorium in collaboration with Alex Andropolous (07.11) / Den Haag , Nl

Finissage performance in collaboration with Alex Andropolous @ Billy town / Den Haag , Nl

Performing for the Graduation festival in The Royal Academy of Art / The Hague , Nl

In collaboration with Alex Andropolous @ ”As close to black as blue can be", MegaStores / The Hague , Nl.

Masterclass with Simone Forti and a performer for her solo show @ Vleeshal , Middelburg, Nl

When I came to the Netherlands I couldn’t speak English, therefore I couldn’t communicate with my new friends any other way, than through playing music or performing. Back then, before I was accepted to the academy, I performed with my friend Alex Andropolous @ ”Old kwantum", Leon's place / The Hague , Nl

In 2011 - 2014 working as an artist equilibrist at Russian State Circus company, I traveled to Tver, Perm, Samara, Saratov, Astrakhan and Tula, Russia.

I revisited those cities. While wondering alone through the city and looking at the certain fountain, building, maybe streets I would recall many emotions from the past. As a tracing paper worked those images for me that layered with the memories that I had, but never knew they existed and how to approach them. (get into them, enter them)

zahar bondar

(b.1992, LV/RU)

voobzem@gmail.com

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2011

2008

1992

Performative interaction with Dmitri Aleksandrovich Prigov, Frits Dijcks and Alex Andropoulos to exhibit a poem. The 4-hour performance took place both inside and outside at ...ism project place, nov 25.

For the first time I presented a text of mine at "I am going to make it, you are going to make it", 2022, with the help of a performer: Vincent't Sas.

In the summer me and Alex Andropoulos organised a group show ‘Petanque’ at Annastate, Den Haag

Contributing artist at the “Koninginnedag Tentoonstelling” at Hgtomi Rosa, Den Haag

Contributing artist at “Kifl the kid Saloon” at Billy town, Den Haag

In february-march I made a long distance ice skate trip to Baikal, Russia where I skated 220km along the north-west cost and slept on ice in a tent.

Participated in a group exhibition of Annastate at Drift, Breda

 

Participated in a group show Progeny with works by Cyrill Rafael Vasilyev, Zahar Bondar and Gideon Oosten, hosted by Peter Brinkman and Titus Bovenberg in their soon-not-to-be atelier

 

Due to the after-graduation-momentum I had a chance to exhibit at SBK Sprout, A'dam and Gallery Bart, A'dam. I didn’t want to (and I couldn’t) exhibit my graduation work so for both of them I made new works.

After graduation I got a chance to make a solo exhibition at Heden Gallery, Den Haag. I have invited my friends to work along with me. It is and established gallery with peculiar architecture and atmoshphere and I wanted to take over the space. I also wanted not only to adopt my graduation work, but also to develop it further. For that I produced a new body of work and Alex Andropolous have made a sound installation , Chloe van Dieppen wrote a poem and Sasha Zal worked on photography.

right after the graduation I went for a one month residency at Aqtushetii in Tushetii, Georgia.

On 05.07.19 I have graduated from the KABK, Den Haag.

In february, march I worked as an assistant of Sander Breure & Witte van Hulzen for their solo exhibition at Marres, Maastricht

In July, together with 7 artists we started an art initiative in The Hague called ‘AnnaState’. Based in Moerwijk we focus on bringing warm, ‘human’ relationships through our practice.

In september I have participated in a group show ' A Balancing Act’ in Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfort together with 25 artists, among them: Folkert De Jong, Carel Visser, Auke de Vries .

Since 2018 I have been working for a stained-glass company, that restores, but also makes new stained-glass panels.

Group exhibition in collaboration with Sasha Zalivako at ‘Outermost Corner’ in NEST / Den Haag , NL

In the summer of 2018 with the Austrian sculpture class from Die angewandte and our professor Hans Shabus, we cycled all the way from  Vienna to Brancusi’s Endless column in Targu Jiu.  The same summer to keep cycling as part of our artistic practice and as a part of a research we with Sasha have followed  the Rhejn river from it’s beginning in Swiss mountains to Hoek van Holland, where the river encounters the sea.

Masterclass with Tirzo Martha @ Museum Beelden aan zee , Den Haag, Nl

Studio visits by Leo Vroegindeweij, Sander Breure & Witte van Hulzen, Zoro Feigl, Guus Van Engelshoven, Gabey Tjon A Tham

I  spent the summer working as a restorer in Vienna. I used this opportunity to be up-to-date with the tools, materials and techniques that are used in the restoration business.

It made me think about the idea of originality and western and eastern approach to it.

exchange in 2016 in Die Angewandte, Vienna, Skulptur und Raum department, Austria

group exhibition @ “The Essence” , Wien , Austria

"Learning from Shans Habus" , group exhibition @ Shizle , Wien , Austria

group exhibition  @ "Cafe am Heumarkt” organised by E++ , Wien , Austria

internship in ECWS, Tilburg

Masterclass with Tino Sehgal @ KABK

I got into the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK), Fine Arts, NL, where besides performing, I am starting to sculpt.

In the period after I quit the institute and before applying to the KABK I was intensively self-studying music, with particular interest to guitar, piano, drums and electronical music. I also was drawing and painting every day. At the same time, I was working as a bike mechanic.

The love for traveling, that my family enhanced in me, and the frustration, that I gained studying in the Aviation Institue, made me stand back and spent 3 years travelling around Europe and Post-Soviet countries, that showed me a totally different world, opened my mind, and brought me to do the Residency in Foros, Crimea, Ukraine in 2013

In 2008 I applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute, faculty "Control Systems, Informatics and Electropower systems" where I studied for 2 years in Moscow, Russia.

zahar bondar ( born in

) in Daugavpils, Latvia