Nadja Reifer

Nadja Reifer is a bio-artist with a background in communication research and design and currently works as a lecturer at the University of Art and Design Linz. Her projects are dedicated to exploring unconventional perspectives on nature, technology and the unconscious. Inspired by alchemy and science fiction, Nadja Reifer’s projects question anthropocentrism and open doors to alternative perspectives and new sensory experiences. Her Bioart PhD project „Interspecies Incubation“ aims to transform traditional human-centred incubation theories into collaborative interspecies assemblages with different actors. These actors include the multi-headed organism Physarum Polycephalum (slime mould) and machine-learning systems. Nadja Reifer’s artistic practice combines different media to create immersive installations and performances that incorporate organic matter, living organisms and algorithms. These elements not only serve as materials, but are important participants in the artwork. Through her PhD project she participated in various conferences, exhibitions and workshops, such as the conference RE: SOURCE Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology (2023) in Venice, the conference Methodological and Cognitive Aspects of Visual Arts (2023) in Wroclaw, the symposium Beyond Growth – Weaving the fabric of a new society (2023) in Dornbirn, the Ars Electronica Festival (2023) in Linz, the EMAF Festival (2023) in Osnabrück, the Paraintelligence workshop (2023) at the Design+Science School in Ljubljana, the School of Life workshop (2022) at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design and the AI+ Artificial Intelligence and Art exhibition (2024) in Linz.