cv

Online Biography

Filmography

Presentations

2023
March – The Fortune, Exodus, Bijbels Museum & Buitenplaats Doornburgh, Online

2022
November – Het Geluid Vaart – Grote Knip, Framework Radio Online
October – The Fortune, Miami New Media Festival, atelierWG Amsterdam and Arts Connection Foundation
July-Sept – Graaschoreografieën – versie IJsselstein, Museum IJsselstein, NL
June – The Ride, What You See is What You Get, Filmhuis Den Haag, NL
June – Het Geluid Vaart III, Oerol Terschelling, NL
Mei – Lost On Arrival, Amsterdam Art @ EyeFilm – Harvest I Amsterdam

2021
Sept-Dec – Residency, IBB Curaçao (Mondriaan buitenlandatelier) Curaçao
Juni – Op Drift, installatie IJsselbiënnale/Museum De Waag Deventer, NL
Juni – Het Geluid Vaart II, Oerol Terschelling, NL
June – Book Graaschoreografieën/Grazing Choreographies, galery dudokdegroot Amsterdam, NL
June – Solo, galery dudokdegroot Amsterdam, NL
April – Lost On Arrival, 38th BISFF, Busan, S. Korea
April – Fronting Motion, installation Upstream galery Ams, NL
March end June – Lost on Arrival, Berlinale Forum Expanded Berlin, DE
March – The Ride, Centre Culturel Suisse Paris, FR
Jan – May – Mailman’s Bag and The Fortune, in ‘Shaping the Invisible World’, House of Electronic Arts Basel, CH. 
Jan – A Collision of Sorts, in ‘What’s the Story? How To Move Close’ with LIMA/Kriterion online, NL 

2020
November – Lost on Arrival, IDFA, in competition short film Amsterdam, NL
November – Graaschoreografieën, Het MOW Bellingwolde, NL
November – The Ride, Seoul International New Media Festival Seoul, Z Korea
September – Fronting Motion, online Upstream galery Amsterdam, NL
September – Shadows Move Right, Oude Kerk Amsterdam, NL
June – Het Geluid Vaart ,Oerol Online, NL
Mei – The Ride, Oberhausen Short Film Festival  Online, DE
Mei – The Stream, Nieuw Dakota/Corona Archives Online, NL
April – Shadows Move Right, Oude Kerk/Mr Motley Online, NL
April – The Ride Visions du Réel, Nyon Online, CH, international competition

2019
Nov – The Ride/De Rit, IDFA Amsterdam, NL
Sept. – Pendule, BIG ART Zaanstad, NL
Sept. – Daily Life at the Crossing, Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam, NL
Sept. – The City as Performative Object, ZKM Karlsruhe, DE
Sept. – Gaan Om Te Zijn/Go Move Be, VideoVortex 12 Malta
Sept. – Gaan Om Te Zijn/Go Move Be, Besides the Screen São Paulo, Brazil
Sept. – Gaan Om Te Zijn/Go Move Be, Unseen Festival Denver, USA
Apr – A Collision of Sorts, Iowa City International 
Documentary Film Festival, US
Jan. – The Ride (solo – installation), De Oude Kerk Amsterdam, NL

2018
June – A Collision of Sorts at Chicago Underground Film Festival
April – Gaan om te Zijn / Go Move Be pre-premiere at LIMA Amsterdam
Jan – NomadicMILK at  Grounding the Map | Mapping the Ground  Zone2Source   Amsterdam

2017
Dec. – NomadicMILK at 2Cows Kalmar Konstmuseum; Kalmar, SW
Nov. – 250 Miles Crossing Philadelphia at Abington Art Center; Philadelphia, US
Nov. – 60+LEAP SECOND SCREENING @ Piksel, Helsinki, FI / Bergen, NO
Nov – AIR in ZO “Gaan om te zijn”, CBK Zuidoost; Amsterdam, NL
Sept – 30 x 30, CBK Zuidoost; Amsterdam, NL
Sept – screening “A Collision of Sorts”, NFF (in competition Gouden Kalf) Utrecht, NL
Aug –  screening “A Collision of Sorts” , NeMaf; Seoul
April – screening of “The City as Performative Object” THE LIMA COLLECTION: Gender & Performativity LIMA; Amsterdam NL
March – screening “A Collision of Sorts” Rencontres Internationales; Paris/Berlin

2016
Oct. – The Mailman’s Bag at Visions in the Nunnery; Bowarts; London UK
Sept – 2ANNAS screening “Once We Get There” (In Competition)
Sept – Open Fields Rixc, Riga
Aug – “Fields Value” at Valkhof Museum; Nijmegen NL
July – FIDMarseille Ventriloquies : l’art dans le cinéma, le cinéma dans l’art; Marseille, FR
July – Let it Blossom group exhibition – Rento Brattinga | gallerie – Amsterdam, NL
March – August – One Century In Art Works – Amsterdam Museum, NL
March – From Bits to Paper Cardboard and ABS Le Shadok Strasbourg, FR
Jan – Stuttgarter Filmwinter – Festival for Expanded Media  Stuttgart, DE

2015
Nov – Solo Exhibition – Rento Brattinga | gallerie – Amsterdam, NL
August -The Mailman’s Bag – ISEA 2015 – Vancouver ,CA
August – Sandmapping – SEEN Amsterdam in Photo’s – Amsterdam, NL
May-2014-April 2015 – 250 Miles Crossing Philadelphia – Percent for Art Program Commission  Philadelphia, USA

2014
May – Jun – Fronting Motion – Internet Of Cars – Southampton, UK
April – Jun – Urban Fruit Street Wrapper – Incredible Travel Experiences – CBK, Assen, NL
Jan – Move Still Move – Rento Bratting | Galerie, Amsterdam, NL

2013
April – Urban Fruit – Street Wrapper, Drones / Birds: Princes of Ubiquity, Brussels, BE
April – May – #Sandmapping, Public Space/ Stadsdeel Zuid, Amsterdam, NL
March – Spiral Drawing Sunrise, Saskia Breakfast, OudeKerk, Amsterdam, NL

2012
Sept – Tree Spirograph/Spiral Drawing Sunrise, Into The Great Wide Open, Vlieland NL
Sept – Spiral Drawing Sunrise, Trage Wegen/Sideways Festival, Verbeke Foundation, Turnhout, BE
June – Het Nationale Canta Ballet, Gashouder, Amsterdam NL
April – Seascape, Zuiderzeemuseum, Enkhuizen NL
April – What’s done cannot be undone, Kulter, Amsterdam NL
Feb – Spiral Drawing Sunrise, Marrakesch Bienale, Marrakesch MA
Feb – L.A Re.Play 2012, CAA 2012, Los Angeles, US, An Exhibition of Mobile Media Art
Jan – “Reflections of Robots”, State Library of Queensland, Queensland Aus

2011
Nov – <Abstractview>, Tracing Mobility, Berlijn, DE
Oct – ETAK-a TomTom-Opera, TEDx, Delft NL
Oct – What’s done cannot be undone, Bos en Lommer Kunstroute, Gem. Amsterdam NL
Sept – Seascape as datacollection, P.A.I.R./Satellietgroep, Scheveningen, NL
Sept – Spiral Drawing Sunrise, ISEA, Istanbul TU
June – AmsterdamREALTIME, Muhka, Antwerpen BE
June – Lake Drawing Wind screening, Eye Film Institute, Amsterdam NL
May – Geotales and NomadicMILK exhibition, CCAEA, Nairobi Kenya
April – <Abstractview>, Solo exhibition, Punt WG, Amsterdam NL
Jan – NomadicMILK, Van Hall Larenstein/Wageningen University, Leeuwarden NL

2010
Nov – Presentation NomadicMILK, African Artist Foundation, Lagos Nigeria
Okt – CattleGrid, mEATing Perron 58, Tilburg NL
Sept – Solo exhibition/balloon performance, HICA/Arts Catalist/air show, Inverness-shire UK
June – NomadicMILK, INIVA; “Who’s map is it?”, Londen UK
Mar – NomadicMILK, Electrosmog, De Balie, Amsterdam, NL
Feb – NomadicMILK, FoodPrint, Zaal 5 Filmhuis, Den Haag NL

2009
Okt – Geotales Warande, Cinekid, Amsterdam NL
April – Spiral Drawing Sunrise performance, Private Commission, Amsterdam, NL/London UK
April – Centro Cultural de Sao Paolo, NomadicGrazing performance, Sao Paolo Br
Jan – Transmediale, NomadicMILK Nigerian version, Berlin DE

2008
Okt – Version bêta, Centre for Contemporary images, Genève CH
June – Spiral Drawing Sunrise, Medialab-Prado, Madrid ES
April – NomadicMILK Cameroon version, Update02, Gent BE
Sept – Souvenir – the landscape as a place of work, De Bewaerschole, Burgh Haamstede NL

2007
Sept – presentation MILKproject, Tiroler Landes Museum, Innsbruck AT
Sept – presentation NomadicMILK, UN/FAIR Trade, Graz AT
June – AmsterdamRealTIME, Festival Pocket Films, Centre Pompidou, Parijs FR

2006
Sept – Radio Oostvaart, Museum Paviljoens / Municipality, Almere NL
April – presentation MILKproject, Salone del Mobile, Milaan IT

2005
Sept – Ars Electronica, MILKproject-installation, Cyber Space, Golden Nica Award, Linz AT
July – ‘Luidt de Zuidpoort’, Sound project on location, Delft NL
March – Presentation MILKproject, ZKM ‘Making Things Public’, Karlsruhe DE

2004
Sept – “Observing the Sea” radio project, Lighthouse Scheveningen, Den Haag NL

Awards and nominations
2016 – The Expanded Media Preis For Network Culture at Stuttgarter Filmwinters – Festival for Expanded Media with “The Mailman’s Bag”
2012 – “Best Practice rosette Classic” Virtueel Platform< i>AmsterdamREALTIME, Amsterdam NL
2010 – “Best Practice rosette” Virtueel Platform NomadicMILK, Amsterdam NL
2009 – Nomination Cinekid New Media Award, Amsterdam NL
2005 – Golden Nica Interactive Art, Linz Austria
2004 – Gada Balva Prix, Riga Letland
2002 – Nomination Open Doors Design Grand Prix, Amsterdam NL

Publications (selection)

• Graaschoreografieën/Grazing Choreographies, uitgeverij Müller, tweetalig/Bilingual, 2021
• From Bits To Paper, edited by Filipe Pais, les presses du réel, July 2018
• Patterns that connect, Saskia Monshouwer, 2017
• Fascinerende schaduwen in een lege woestijn, Tracy Metz, NRC, 2015
• Een roadmovie door stemmige stills, Jan Pieter Ekker, Het Parool, 2015
• Walking and Mapping, Artists as cartographers, Karen O’Rourke, Leonardo book series, 2012
• Space Inscribed, Esther Polak and Ivar van Bekkum at HICA in conversation with Murdo Mcdonald – 2010
• PAD Public Art Dialogue; Special Issue Digital Public Art Vol 4 Number 1 Spring 2015 Routledge  Down the Rabbit Hole.
• Art and Electronic Media, Edward Schanken, Paidon 2009
• Neural Issue 33, summer 2009 Esther Polak interview
  Deep North Transmediale catalogus 2009 Traversing the route : From Mediamarket to Cameroon; Annet Dekker in conversation with Esther Polak
• Mac Luhan neu lesen, Derrick de Kerckhoven, Martina Leeker, Kerstin Smit edit. Transcript Verlag, 2008;
• Kunst und GPS. Esther Polaks lokative Kunst. By Arie Altena
• ELSE/WHERE MAPPING Janet Abrams and Peter Hall ed. University of Minnesota press, 2006

Teaching and lecturing
2018
– Teacher at Art Science Interfaculty KABK, Den Haag, NL 2017-2018
– OffCource Workshop at Minerva Academie, Groningen, NL 2017 -2018
– workshop Architecture as Sonic Experience – reDesigning Affect Space research project; Berlin, DE
– Moderation Study Day – Artistic Research Rietveld Academy / Sandberg, Amsterdam, NL
2017
– M4gastcollege “The City as Performative Object”
– ArtistTalk “The City as Performative Object” at Abington Art Centre, Philadelphia, US.
– IMC Weekendschool, Amsterdam, NL
2016
– Lecture  – Master of Film Film academy Amsterdam, NL
– Lecture at Design/Creative Writing depertment ARTEZ Arnhem, NL
– ArtistTalk at Jan van Eyk, Maastricht, NL
– Workshop Lines Inscribed Minerva Academie, Groningen, NL
2015
– extern advisor HKU fine arts
– extern advisor Master Non Linear Narrative KABK, Dn Haag, NL
– project tutor “Guiding Voices” interaction design/fine arts ARTEZ, Arnhem, NL
– workshop Guiding Voices First Floor Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
– 5 days of guest teaching; TechnologyLab / MediaCultuur; Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten / Academie voor Beeldende Vorming, Amsterdam, NL
– Keynote Lecture Emerging Documentary Practices Symposium, Philadelphia, US
2014 and earlier
– series of Pole Photograpy workshops at Mander Playground, Philadelphia, US 2014
– guest lecture and studio visits Ph.D students in DXARTS200 Seatlle, US 2014
– Lecture Yes Natural/Ja Natuurlijk, 2013, The Hague, NL
– Lecture/performace Sea view as data collection – E*cinema Special EYE Film-institute Amsterdam, NL 2012
– Tutor at ArtScience interfactulty KABK, Royal Arts Academy, The Hague, NL 2011
– Lecture on mapping, Arts Catalyst, London, UK, 2011
– Tutor at Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen, NL 2011
– Mapping workshop/lecture, PixelAche, Helsinki, FI, 2011
– Mapping workshop/lecture, University Edinburgh, Edingburgh, UK, 2011
– GeoTales workshop at NIMk, Amsterdam, NL 2011
– Tutor at Geo Tales workshop, WRO art centre, Wroclaw, Poland, 2010
– Tutor at GeoTales workshop, Imal, NewBraveWorld Masterclasses, Brussels, DE 2009
– Tutor at Any Media workshop, Mediamatic/IDFA, Amsterdam, NL, 2008

Other activities

• Advicer Mondriaan Fund (Esther), 2022-
• Advicer NPO fonds dodumentary(Esther), 2020-
• Advicer AKC (Esther) (Advies Commisie Kunst Amsterdam Zuid) 2021
•  Advicer Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (Esther) 2017-
• Board member Foundation The Mobile City  2018 – now
• Researcher at knowledge network LAPS at  Rietveld academie Amsterdam 2016-2021
• Artist in residence at Univercity City Science Center / Percent for Art Program; Philadelphia US May-Nov 2014
• initiator ArtistTalks.nl, 2012-2016, Amsterdam NL
• Participant masterclass Mediafonds@Sandberg http://followthemoney.nu Amsterdam, 2010
• Artist in residence Feb-May 2009 NIMk (Dutch Institute for Media Art) Amsterdam, NL

Education
Esther Polak studied at the Rijksakademie for visual Arts in Amsterdam and the KABK in Den Haag, NL
Ivar van Bekkum studied Journalism at the School for Journalism (HICO), Kampen/Zwolle, NL