Nino Baumgartner’s practice emerges from direct encounters with landscape and space. Forests, rocks, canyons, boundary zones and hidden terrains form the starting point for an exploration of movement. He is interested in moments when human-made structures — such as flood-protection systems, bunkers or surveyed borders — collide with the complex logic of nature, and when natural formations themselves become territorial markers of orientation.
Baumgartner uses the term Maneuver to describe his performative practice. Derived from *manu operare* — the working hand — the Maneuver refers to work rather than gesture. With the released energy of the body, Baumgartner cuts through landscape and infiltrates spaces. With different tool sets, like flexible sculptures, copperplates and Go Pro camera, he recollects and distribute energy. The Maneuver is an ongoing exchange with the body, mind, materials (medium) and the environment. The energy created during this process becomes part of the work and is passed on to the viewer through the exhibition.
The Maneuver is friction, rawness and material presence in an age that seeks smoothness and efficiency.
The performance series Shortkuts invites audiences to follow Nino Baumgartner through unfamiliar terrains, turning physical activity — climbing, balancing, traversing — into a way of sensing the shape of a landscape. Drawing on endurance and extreme sports, the works explore the limits of body and environment. Baumgartner acts as a kind of landscape painter through movement and mapping. The walks are able to uncover tensions between humans and nature, construction and wilderness, strength and vulnerability.
Nino Baumgartner’s public works merge the ideas of The Maneuver and Shortkuts, translating physical action and friction into existing architectural and social spaces. Rather than representing space, they activate it. The work becomes not an object, but an invitation to engage with space through resistance and awareness.
2023
Abreviazioni — Spazio Lampo, Chiasso
2016
Niesen Maneuver — On / Off, Winterthur
2015
Topical Delight — Kunsthalle Tropical Mödrudalur, Island
2014
Agro-Zen-Garten — Ausstellungsraum Klingental, Basel
2013
Learning from Warsaw — Kunstverein Zürich und A-I-R Laboratory Warschau, Polen
Left Spot / Right Spot — Die Diele Zürich
Scratches, Pieces, Faults and Foldings — Galerie Kretlow Bern
2011
Gasträume Zürich — Kunst im öffentlichen Raum, Sigi-Feigel-Terrasse, Zürich
2010
Car / River Maneuver — Lokal-int Biel
2009
Zeit geht vorbei — LOGE Stadtgalerie, Bern
2008
Formsachen #5. Nino Baumgartner — Kunstraum Oktogon, Bern
2022
Cantonale — Kunsthaus Langental
2021
Kunst Jetzt — Strandbad ,Thun
2020
Biennale Bregaglia — Nossa Dona, Bregaglia
Hans Wilhelm Auer — Kunsthalle, Liestal
2019
Insonne — La Grande Mostra Di Scultura, Sonnenstube, Lugano
2018
Triennale Grenchen — Grenchen
2017
Zukunfts Wucher — Stadtgalerie Bern
2015
Tanabata — Public Adress Gallery NY, USA
Gorgissimo — Reunion Zürich
Old Friends New Ideas-Old Ideas New Friends — Milieux Bern
2014
Sundowner — Circuit 12 Gallery Dallas Texas, USA
Tell Me What You See,When I Look In To Your Eyes — Galerie Bolte Lang Zürich
Sympahty for the Devi — Hello Project Gallery Houston Texas, USA
Devant Derrière — Trudelhaus Baden
2013
Baguette that — Cité International des Arts Paris, Frankreich
Inter Aktion — Institut Francais Stuttgart, Deutschland
Feu Sacré — Kunstmuseum Bern
2012
If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend to sharpening my axe — Kunstraum Riehen, Basel
2011
WHO RUNS THE SPACE NOW? — Neue Galerie Bern Mexiko Stadt, Mexiko
2010
Full Vacuum — kuratiert von Jeanne Gillard und Laurence Schmidlin, LIVE IN YOUR HEAD Genf
Conspiracy — Kunsthalle Bern
2025
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern und des Kantons Bern. Projekt: Flügelschlag
2022
Stipendien für Bildende Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur des Kantons Bern
2021
Förderakzent 2021 — Continuer-Beiträge für Kulturschaffende an Entwicklung und Vertiefung
2017
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern
2015
Werkstipedium der Stadt Zürich
2014
Werkstipendium des Kantons Zürich
2013
Swiss Performance Award
Atelierstipendium der Stadt Zürich in Paris
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern und des Kantons Bern
2012
Aeschliman Corti Stipendium (Förderpreis)
2011
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern und des Kantons Bern
2009
Reisestipendium des Kantons Bern
«Kreuz den Raum» Von San Sebastian, Spanien (Eduardo Chillida‘s «Wind Kämme») nach Videy, Island (Richard Serra‘s «AFANGAR»)
2020
Biennale Bregaglia — Ausstellungskatalog
2019
Shortkuts — Marks Blond, Bern
2014
Monochrome Maneuver — Sonnenstube, Lugano
Lasso Nr 6 — Schöne neue Welt
2013
Learning from Warsaw — Ausstellungskatalog
Now This over, over — Ein Text über das „Ur Maneuver“ wurde von Sarina Scheidegger in ihrer Performance verwendet
2012
La jeunesse est un art — Ausstellungskatalog,
2011
WHO RUNS THE SPACE NOW? — Ausstellungskatalog Mexiko Stadt / Neue Galerie Bern
DU Spezialedition — Kunstsammlung Julius Bär
2010
No Territorial Pissing — Ausstellungskatalog
2009
Formsachen #1–#8 — Ausstellungskatalog
Kunstsamlung des Kantons Bern
Kunstsammlung der Stadt Zürich
Museum Tinguely
Eidgenössische Grafische Sammlung
Musée Jenisch Vevey
Zürcherkantonalbank
Julius Bär
Privatsammlung
*1979
geboren in Jegenstorf, lebt in Bern
2010–2012
Master of Contemporary Arts Practice, Hochschule der Künste Bern
2004–2007
Studium an der Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Studiengang Kunst
Nino Baumgartner was born in Bätterkinden in 1979. He currently lives and works in Berne. His artistic practice encompasses a variety of media, including performances, videos, prints and installations. He considers himself a kind of landscape painter, however without painting in the true sense of the word. His explorations of landscape and space are based on physical interactions that mobilize the aesthetics and body language specific to extreme and endurance sports. Baumgartner is particularly interested in the connection between nature and humans, and how our relationship with the environment influences our movement and mobility. Physical strength and the limits of bodily possibilities are the two aspects through which Baumgartner engages with the environment
Nino Baumgartner was born in Bätterkinden in 1979. He currently lives and works in Berne. His artistic practice encompasses a variety of media, including performances, videos, prints and installations. He considers himself a kind of landscape painter, however without painting in the true sense of the word. His explorations of landscape and space are based on physical interactions that mobilize the aesthetics and body language specific to extreme and endurance sports. Baumgartner is particularly interested in the connection between nature and humans, and how our relationship with the environment influences our movement and mobility. Physical strength and the limits of bodily possibilities are the two aspects through which Baumgartner engages with the environment
Nino Baumgartner was born in Bätterkinden in 1979. He currently lives and works in Berne. His artistic practice encompasses a variety of media, including performances, videos, prints and installations. He considers himself a kind of landscape painter, however without painting in the true sense of the word. His explorations of landscape and space are based on physical interactions that mobilize the aesthetics and body language specific to extreme and endurance sports. Baumgartner is particularly interested in the connection between nature and humans, and how our relationship with the environment influences our movement and mobility. Physical strength and the limits of bodily possibilities are the two aspects through which Baumgartner engages with the environment
Nino Baumgartner was born in Bätterkinden in 1979. He currently lives and works in Berne. His artistic practice encompasses a variety of media, including performances, videos, prints and installations. He considers himself a kind of landscape painter, however without painting in the true sense of the word. His explorations of landscape and space are based on physical interactions that mobilize the aesthetics and body language specific to extreme and endurance sports. Baumgartner is particularly interested in the connection between nature and humans, and how our relationship with the environment influences our movement and mobility. Physical strength and the limits of bodily possibilities are the two aspects through which Baumgartner engages with the environment
2023
Abreviazioni — Spazio Lampo, Chiasso
2016
Niesen Maneuver — On / Off, Winterthur
2015
Topical Delight — Kunsthalle Tropical Mödrudalur, Island
2014
Agro-Zen-Garten — Ausstellungsraum Klingental, Basel
2013
Learning from Warsaw — Kunstverein Zürich und A-I-R Laboratory Warschau, Polen
Left Spot / Right Spot — Die Diele Zürich
Scratches, Pieces, Faults and Foldings — Galerie Kretlow Bern
2011
Gasträume Zürich — Kunst im öffentlichen Raum, Sigi-Feigel-Terrasse, Zürich
2010
Car / River Maneuver — Lokal-int Biel
2009
Zeit geht vorbei — LOGE Stadtgalerie, Bern
2008
Formsachen #5. Nino Baumgartner — Kunstraum Oktogon, Bern
2022
Cantonale — Kunsthaus Langental
2021
Kunst Jetzt — Strandbad ,Thun
2020
Biennale Bregaglia — Nossa Dona, Bregaglia
Hans Wilhelm Auer — Kunsthalle, Liestal
2019
Insonne — La Grande Mostra Di Scultura, Sonnenstube, Lugano
2018
Triennale Grenchen — Grenchen
2017
Zukunfts Wucher — Stadtgalerie Bern
2015
Tanabata — Public Adress Gallery NY, USA
Gorgissimo — Reunion Zürich
Old Friends New Ideas-Old Ideas New Friends — Milieux Bern
2014
Sundowner — Circuit 12 Gallery Dallas Texas, USA
Tell Me What You See,When I Look In To Your Eyes — Galerie Bolte Lang Zürich
Sympahty for the Devi — Hello Project Gallery Houston Texas, USA
Devant Derrière — Trudelhaus Baden
2013
Baguette that — Cité International des Arts Paris, Frankreich
Inter Aktion — Institut Francais Stuttgart, Deutschland
Feu Sacré — Kunstmuseum Bern
2012
If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend to sharpening my axe — Kunstraum Riehen, Basel
2011
WHO RUNS THE SPACE NOW? — Neue Galerie Bern Mexiko Stadt, Mexiko
2010
Full Vacuum — kuratiert von Jeanne Gillard und Laurence Schmidlin, LIVE IN YOUR HEAD Genf
Conspiracy — Kunsthalle Bern
2025
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern und des Kantons Bern. Projekt: Flügelschlag
2022
Stipendien für Bildende Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur des Kantons Bern
2021
Förderakzent 2021 — Continuer-Beiträge für Kulturschaffende an Entwicklung und Vertiefung
2017
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern
2015
Werkstipedium der Stadt Zürich
2014
Werkstipendium des Kantons Zürich
2013
Swiss Performance Award
Atelierstipendium der Stadt Zürich in Paris
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern und des Kantons Bern
2012
Aeschliman Corti Stipendium (Förderpreis)
2011
Werkbeitrag der Stadt Bern und des Kantons Bern
2009
Reisestipendium des Kantons Bern
«Kreuz den Raum» Von San Sebastian, Spanien (Eduardo Chillida‘s «Wind Kämme») nach Videy, Island (Richard Serra‘s «AFANGAR»)
2020
Biennale Bregaglia — Ausstellungskatalog
2019
Shortkuts — Marks Blond, Bern
2014
Monochrome Maneuver — Sonnenstube, Lugano
Lasso Nr 6 — Schöne neue Welt
2013
Learning from Warsaw — Ausstellungskatalog
Now This over, over — Ein Text über das „Ur Maneuver“ wurde von Sarina Scheidegger in ihrer Performance verwendet
2012
La jeunesse est un art — Ausstellungskatalog,
2011
WHO RUNS THE SPACE NOW? — Ausstellungskatalog Mexiko Stadt / Neue Galerie Bern
DU Spezialedition — Kunstsammlung Julius Bär
2010
No Territorial Pissing — Ausstellungskatalog
2009
Formsachen #1–#8 — Ausstellungskatalog
Kunstsamlung des Kantons Bern
Kunstsammlung der Stadt Zürich
Museum Tinguely
Eidgenössische Grafische Sammlung
Musée Jenisch Vevey
Zürcherkantonalbank
Julius Bär
Privatsammlung
*1979
geboren in Jegenstorf, lebt in Bern
2010–2012
Master of Contemporary Arts Practice, Hochschule der Künste Bern
2004–2007
Studium an der Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Studiengang Kunst