Barbara
Kowa

The international artist and actress was born into the world of fine art as the daughter of the curator and art historian Wieland Schmied. Seeking distance and identity, she initially focused primarily ontheater acting, and found the freedom of fine art in a performance that is surely influenced by arthistory and theater as well. Kowa discovers the essentials through the process of live-art with isembodiment in space and time, and likes to work in cycles that offer her a continuity of inner debate,within artistic freedom.She founded ACT.ART.OUT. performance theater in 2013 and is focusing fullyperformance art eversince.Studies1993-97 ERNST BUSCH academy for performing arts and theater Berlin (Diploma)1994-98 studieswith Nan Hoover, Vallie Export and Ellen Cantor video and performance summer academy Salzburg,Austria (Diploma)2007 Producers seminar at the bavarian academy for Film BAF Munich (Diploma)Assistance1998 artistic assistant at the Wooster GroupPerforming Garage New YorkTrainingIFS Cologne-masterclasses-Mike Figgis and Tom diChillioMaisner Technique at actors space BerlinScholarships2009 the studio Hollywood/LAAwards2010 best feature film for DREAMING MALI at the TBFF Dallas,USAPresented in collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Art2011 best feature nominations at the ÉCU fest Paris and New Jersey filmfestWorkshopsshe gave workshops in different places and festivals in Latvia, Austria,New Zealand, Indonesia and in Germany amongst others atthe Ernst Busch Academy for performing arts BerlinList Of Works (Selection)Performance/ Video works/ FestivalsBarbara Kowa´s main interest is live-art- performance, process, co-creativeand site- specific work, so exhibitions have never been her main focus.Nevertheless you can find some in this general List of works marked in italic writing.1994 -video installation THE REALITY OF A DREAM Saline HalleinTIME SIGN 5 hour-landart performance in Salzburg Austria curated by Nan Hoover1995 MIND AND MATTER performance at the gallery Utaku in Bern1996 AMOR EST UN ZIETKE at the performance festival, working for the mental internet“ Bern 1996-99 actress at the Renaissance Theater Berlin1998 HEIMKEHR videoinstallation and performance at gallery mainblau, Berlin1999 Maria in "the proof of the soul" by Rudolf Steiner, Documenta X2000 INTIMACY 2 Pan+ barakowa Galery Alcatraz, Hallein, Austria2001-2 Monolog "Molloy" Beckett for the Academy of arts Munich2002 Videoinstallation SEVEN STEPS AND BEYOND Kunstraum Berlin (Solo show)2004 Ifs:experimental film real time project with Mike Figgis2005-6 performer/dancer in "Takemitsu–my way of life"States-Opera-Berlin touring Paris (Theatre du Châtelét) and Tokio (Bunka Kai Kahn) 2005 video-interlay performance at the Transitstation Berlin2005 choreography and performance"open air Art Museum" Pédvale, Latvia2006 EMPIRE OF PEACE (video 30 min) for Kunsthaus Wien Austria2007 MIND AND MATTER 2 performance with Markus Schaller,Tansitstation Edinburg2006-9 TREETALKS video performance (UNTIL DEATH DO US PART)2008 ONEAN(D)OTHER live-art in Mali, with Markus SchallerVideo installation BASIC KNOWLEDGE Bologna, Giardino del Guasto2008-interactive Video-performance in the Watercastel in Bad Rappenau2009 performance and Videoinstallation of TREETALKS in Berlin Theater chappel2010 HEART VENTRICLE Royal Danish academy of arts Copenhagen/Transitstation2011 Live-art-project WATER WISDOM China/Shanghai/ Beijing2012 E.V.E. fest female performers from New York + Berlin,curated by SilverSilverSilverSEEDS AND EGGS Cell63 Luisa Catucci Gallery2013 SEVEN SEALS performative installation (art.endart and Uferhallen Berlin)2014 MAO+TAO Feature Film on "water wisdom" shown at art.endart BerlinBLOOD AND BREATH at Cell 63 BerlinHEART OF UNITY in Israel during the operation `protective edge´(Tel Aviv, Haifa, Acco)2014+2015 SEVEN SEALS at NEW HEALING festival Germany2015 SEVEN SEALS in New Zealand (Prana festival)+Lithuania (Yaga Gathering) ABSTRACT BODIES/ BODY LANGUAGE site-specific dead sea, between Israel and JordanSKIN at Cell 63 Berlin weekend of performance art curated by Dagmar-Glausnitzer SmithSEEDS AND EGGS at open-air-arts museum pédvale, Latvia2016 SEVEN SEALS on Gili Air beach,IndonesiaV.U.P. Live-art during the Berlinale Festival, BerlinHOMAGE TO RICHTER videoperformanceINVOLUTION (SHAME SHAME SHAME) videoperformance2017 SEVEN SEALS in Nazaré beach, PortugalPERIPHERIE WITHOUT CENTER performative installation at gr_und Berlin, curated by L.Hungh HOMAGE TO NIKI DE ST PHALLE intimate videoperformanceBREATH IN BLOOD with Collin Edina Leach at weekend of performance art,curated by Dagmar Glausnitzer-Smith2018 THE CALCULATING MIND CAN NOT BE TRUSTED 42 days non-stop-gallery durational and solo show, Luisa Cattucci Gallery Berlin HOMAGE TO DUCHAMP ongoing live-art Berlin