PRESS KIT | ceciliebeck

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BIOGRAPHY

Cecilie Beck (Kronborg) is a Scandinavian audiovisual artist. She has expressed her work through visual art and music for the mostpart of her life. In 2013 she earned a MFA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. At the Academy's department 'School of Walls and Space' Beck studied Art-as-Activism and art in public spaces.

During her education Cecilie Beck did an internship for Berlin-based artist Annika Lundgren, and went on educational exchanges to Konstfack in Stockholm as well as Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. In 2010 she settled on Lombok in Indonesia for 5 months. Here she created a series of street art and music. She has also spent half a year in India. While finishing her thesis project Cecilie Beck settled in New York City and stayed there for 8 years.

Cecilie Beck has showcased her work at various music venues and galleries in NYC, such as Nublu, Bar Matchless, Rockwood Music Hall, The Knitting Factory, Paper Box, Red Door, Arlene's Grocery, The Bitter End and Pianos, Bishop Gallery, Lesley Heller Gallery, Ground Floor Gallery, Living Gallery, La Bodega, BAU Gallery in Beacon and more.

Internationally, she has presented her work at Spikersuppa Sound Gallery in Oslo, The Artist House (Museum) in Oslo, Basso in Berlin, Litteraturhaus in Copenhagen, Musikhuset in Århus and more.

Among other grants Cecilie Beck received the "work grant" from The Danish Arts Foundation in 2017. In 2017 she was also put on the Danish embassy's (in NYC) list "Super Danes" as an ambassador of spreading Danish culture internationally.

After living in New York City for 8 years, Cecilie Beck moved back to Europe in 2019. She landed in Berlin, where she met Gabriel Gordon. They immediately started a band called Gate to Venus. The band had a monthly residency at Bar Bobu in Berlin September 2019 - September 2020. During the corona lockdowns in September 2020, they moved to a tiny gem island called Strynø in Denmark with around 240 people and 19 nationalities. In March 2021 they had their daughter Lucia Rae.

In January 2016, she released the debut album “Here is Now” on her own label Sound Vision Lab. Seth Misterka produced it. It was followed by the album Moonbeam in 2019 which she wrote, recorded, produced and released herself.

Gate to Venus released their debut album Chrysalis Metropolis on Spring Equinox in 2020. It was produced by Robert Philipp. On Summer solstice Cecilie's released a solo EP called "The 7th Wave" which she did on her own. She produced Gabriel's EP "Sunday Afternoon in Berlin" which was released the same day. On Fall Equinox, Gate to Venus released the EP "Solanum". In December on Winter Solstice, the album "3rd Eye View" came out. On Spring Equinox, 4 days before their daughter was born, Gate to Venus released their latest album "Time is a Melody". Unless mentioned otherwise, they wrote, recorded, produced and released the music on their own.

Currently Cecilie Beck runs a small studio gallery in her garden on Strynø. She has a solo show coming up in December 2021 at P6 Gallery in Berlin. Gate to Venus is currently recording their next release - an album called Twilight Serenades which will come out on Winter Solstice. She's also currently collaborating on a project called Seasons with Danish solo violinist Anne Sophie Andersen.

ARTIST STATEMENT

To me, light and sound are closely related. I mean this in a very literal way. When I see light, I hear sound. Some people call it synesthesia.

In the dawn of my art practice I was involved with the clashes and harmonies between people and places. My work could be seen as a reaction to issues on the political scene and a variety of other social (mis)constructions. While I am still interested in human interactions and political climates, my practice is beginning to move from a classical activist approach (balancing by creating opposition) to an interest in spiritual and scientific investigation (healing of unbalances and creation of alternatives). Whereas I used to focus on authority, hierarchies, communication, prejudice, gender, racism and commercialism with an attempt to rip the unjust apart, I now look inside for inspiration to create a higher vibration in my artwork. I am deeply interested in positive reinforcement and the place where spirituality and science meet.

My processes are experimental, and the projects are improvisational and interdisciplinary. My performative approach, mixed with an intuitive development of concepts, makes the process an important part of the artwork - this being installations, dance performances, concerts, videos, paintings, drawings, sound and light recordings, archives and music. As an artist, I see it as my privilege and responsibility to work with a variety of methods as a way to develop and present ideas. I strive to inspire the viewer and listener to create a positive environment, both within themselves and in the world we live in.

INQUIRIES

Sound Vision Lab, Inc.

soundvisionlab@gmail.com

+1 (917) 341 - 3793

PRESS PHOTOS

I like to listen to

Prince, Björk, K Flay, Kimbra, Eric Satie, Beck, Coco Rosie, David Bowie, Regina Spektor, Arthur Russell, PJ Harvey, Jimi Hendrix, Tank and the Bangas, Lizzo, Laura Mvula, Joanna Newsom, The Overcoats, Jolie Holland, Tom Waits, Lie Ning, Butch Morris, Imogen Heap, Diplo, Joni Mitchell, Anderson Paak, Patti Smith and many more...

I LIKE TO LOOK AT

Pussy Riot, Sophie Calle, Louise Bourgeois, Yoko Ono, Ai Weiwei, Olafur Eliasson, Banksy, Hartmut Stockter, Frida Kahlo, Margaret Kilgallen and many more...

I LIKE TO READ

Italo Calvino, Rumi, Herman Hesse, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Octavia Butler, Haruki Murakami, Chester Himes, Foucault, Miwon Kwon, John-Roger Hinkins and many more...

MUSIC PLATFORMS

No. 1 single ( Butterflies) on MAFBOARD international chart for emerging artists.

- February 22nd 2016

No. 1 Artist on Reverbnation's Experimental Local Chart (NYC)

- July 2016

Recommended by Danish Public Radio via Karrierekanonen

- 2016 + 2019

Review by Indie Music Review

"You can hear her [Cecilie Beck] take on a new soul with "Heartbeat". With "Put me on the Bonfire", an atmosphere is created and all you can do is be swept away by it.

Her voice carries like a melodic charm, the music follows close behind and by the time they reach your ear, you're hooked"

Review by Nordic Music Review

"Cecilie has released ‘Butterflies’. and it's a confident promising debut, a well constructed ‘experimental folk’ style song, with a laid back piano opening and contemporary feel."

Brian Bacchus, grammy award winning producer. A & R for Norah Jones. Producer for Gregory Porter and many more.

"Cecilie Beck is a triple threat - a musician/singer, songwriter and multi-disciplined visual artist. But her most dangerous talent is her imagination and concept!
She creates a world where all her talents come together to paint a picture, when she creates songs. Her songs are synesthetic tone poems. They are 3 dimensional with all 5 (or 6) senses being put to work. She is the new renaissance artist! Open your ears, your eyes, the rest of your senses… but most of all your heart to Cecilie Beck."

SHORT documentary

CV/RESUME

EDUCATION

6-years Master of Fine Arts - The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
2013: Earned my MFA
2012: January - May: Visiting Program at the MFA at Parsons New School in NYC
2011:September- December: Free studies in New York City
2010: Internship as assistant for fine artist Annika Lundgren in Berlin. 9 months Feb-Oct
2009: August - December: KUNO-exchange to Konstfack Art School in Stockholm, Sweden
2009-2013 The School of Walls and Space. Professor Nils Norman.http://wallsandspace.org/about/
2008: Graphic School, Professor Thomas Locker
2006 - 2013: Student at The Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark

ARTSHOWS AND MUSIC PERFORMANCES

2024

February 15: Album release with Gate to Venus. Album Name: Twilight Serenades. Club: Nublu 151 NYC
February: Leading art workshop at NYU. Professor Duncan Yoon.
January 28: Exhibition at Taylor Fine Art in Culver City, Los Angeles, USA
January 27: Perform with Gate to Venus at a fundraiser for ISLA (art residency) and NAMI (Fentenol Awareness), private house in Ojai, Los Angeles, USA
January 26-29: Army of Angels sound art piece commissioned by Spikesuppa Lydgalleri i Oslo, Norway

2023

November 28: Gabriel Gordon and I did a music workshop at NYU in NYC
November 21: Concert with Gate to Venus at Kunstbygningen Filosoffen in Odense, Denmark at the opening of BKF's art Exhibition Filofionia
October 5: Release of my single Take me Home Tonight on my label Sound Vision Lab.
July 3rd - 7th, Soundbaths at ISLA together with Gabriel Gordon.
May 22, Release of 3-track music project CFFY with band Heart and Dart (duo with German producer Tobias Nöthen)
May 19, Be Longing artshow. 3 generation women, my 2-year-old daughter Lucia Rae, my mother and I, Helligåndshuset in Randers
May 10, We received a preliminary study grant from Realdania for the development of our culture house ISLA (then Stella Polaris Arts)
Aptil 12th, Gate to Venus Concert at Bar BoBu in Berlin
April 9, Artshow and livingroom concert at ISLA - together with Chico and Gabriel Gordon
April 2nd, Fussingø Castle, Easter show (group art show). Exhibited work in the countess bedroom and the countess' guestroom
February 17, No. 1 artist on Reverbnation Experimental Charts in NYC
February 17, Songs, Solo show at Galleri Tegn, Strynø
January 28th, Sound Journey Vol. 1, Gate to Venus Release. Sound bath with guided meditation

2022

November 25, Seasons .2 interdisciplinary performance at UngK in Aarhus. Support from Statens Kunstfond, MusicCityAarhus and Aarhus Unge Tonekunstnere. I was art director on the performance and projected video on dancers that I had instructed to do a structured improvisation for the Seasons compositions
November, Gate to Venus begins doing sound baths on the weekends at Thorséng Nature Resort on Tåsinge in Denmark
October 14, I went to collect two of my Tones drawings that had been on view at Christiansborg Slot (the Danish parliament) for a couple of years.
August 28, elected deputy chairman for Billedkunstnernes Forbund FYN - a Danish arts organisation.
August 6, I married my sweet angel Gabriel, so I didn't do so much art leading up to that. I was pretty busy throwing our epic island wedding for 200 people;)
Beginning of August. I had two paintings in a local group show at Galleri Tegn on my home island Strynø.
May 7, revealing my street sign for Strynø as the island won the price as Island of the Year in Denmark.
May 7, Live concert with Gate to Venus and the local school kids at the formal celebration of our little island winning the title Island of the Year.
April 8, Polkadots & Heartbeats music video release. Album: Time Is a Melody by Gate to Venus
March 19, Pisces, release online. Video from project Seasons - collaboration with Danish composer and violinist Anne Sophie Andersen
January 20, Capricorn and Aquarius release online. Videos from project Seasons - collaboration with Danish composer and violinist Anne Sophie Andersen
January 22, Last day of Island Girl solo show at Galerie P6 in Berlin

2021

December 19, Island Girl, Opening of solo art show at Galerie P6 in Berlin. Running until January 22, 2022.
October 16, Gate to Venus i Orangeriet, Strynø
October 16, Fuglefløjt og Tigerspring, soloshow with my mom at my own gallery La Petite Galerie, Strynø
September 9, Gate to Venus concert at Strynø Købmand
August 20, Gate to Venus concert at Øhavets Kultur og Smakkecenter, Strynø
August 15, Seasons premiere, New Music for Strings Festival, Musikvideo, Musikhuset, Århus
June 21, Rae of Sunshine, single release
May 1st, Circles, Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the music video.
March 29, Easter Show, Group show at Gallery Tegn, Strynø, Denmark
March 20, Time Is A Melody, Gate to Venus album release
February 11, Cube of Light, Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the music video

2020

Supposed to curate a Solar Panel Art Series art show in Berlin for BEAM. Canceled due to corona
Supposed to curate a Solar Panel Art Series art show in NYC for BEAM. Canceled due to corona
Supposed to be in art show in Singapore. Canceled due to corona
December 21, 3rd Eye View, Gate to Venus album release
November 27, Never Ever, Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the music video
November 17, Talking Trees, Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the music video
November 1st, On and On, Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the music video
September 22, Solanum, Gate to Venus EP release
September 21, Night Blossoms, Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the video
September, Supposed to be in Paper Positions Frankfurt. Canceled due to corona
June 20, Sunday Afternoon in Berlin, Gabriel Gordon's soloalbum released. Producer and engineer: Cecilie Beck Kronborg
June 20, The 7th Wave, solo album release
March 21, Golden Black Gate to Venus music video release. Directed, filmed and edited the music video
March 20, Chrysalis Metropolis, Gate to Venus Album Release
February 20, Save It For The City, Gate to Venus single release. Also directed, filmed and edited the music video which was released the same day

2019

December 13, Gate to Venus music video release, Directed, filmed and edited the music video
November 11th: Gate to Venus single release
May 31: Moonbeam, Release of solo album Moonbeam and music video for Waves under Water
May 13, Release of single and music video Deeper Than Love
Hired as curator of Solar Panel Art Series (BEAM & Olafur Eliasson's Little Sun Foundation)

2018

September 8th Solo Show, FACTORY at BAU Gallery, 506 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508
July 2nd - July 9th Residency at DJBFA songwriter refugie at Skrova Lighthouse, Lofoten Islands, Norway
June 2nd Concert at Von Hatten, Randers, Denmark
May 2nd Performance at private MSIA event, Manhattan, NYC
April 5th Group Show at EIDIA HOUSE/Plato’s Cave in Williamsburg. The A-Hole Show
March 23rd Livingroom Concert at Duncan’s place NYU Faculty
March 23rd Concert at Nublu as a part of BLÅ’s NORDIC NIGHT
March 8th. Representing Denmark at International Women Artists’ Salon at Dixon Place on International Women’s Day.
January 27th. Sound performance/concert at 'Women of Vision': Allentown Art Museum highlights work of National Geographic photographers.
January 13th Audiovisual art performance at ice skating rink in Sønderborg, Denmark. Curated by Andreas Hald Oxenvad (Rumklang)

2017

December 9th - January 14th: Holiday Art group show at La Bodega Studios. Curated by Johnny Thornton.
Sep 25th: BYOA at The Living Gallery in Brooklyn.
Sep 22nd: Hands on Love. Group show at The Living Gallery in Brooklyn curated by Charlotte Mouquin and Richie Richardson and Love Yourself Project. The exhibition was a part of Bushwick Open Studios.
Sep 16th: The Future IS Female. International Women Artists' Salon at Dixon Place, NYC. Performance (piano) together with 8-year-old Rose Olivia Olshan (on her nunchucks routine) and talk (introduction to my Cecilie Beck's art practice).
Sep16th: Release of IWAS Salon Radio Podcast 4 featuring Cecilie Beck & Joanna Sherman (Bond Street Theatre).
Sep 15th: Re:Patterns. Group show at La Bodega Studios in Brooklyn. Curated by Johnny Thornton.
August 10th-September 22nd: Nordic Light at Budin, Scandinavian Event space in Greenpoint, New York
June 22nd. The Roost. Performance with DjCherishTheLuv
May 13th: Performance at RØM Gallery www.roem.dk, Copenhagen. Show: MANTRA by Laura Ratschau and Ruben Lisboa
April 22nd: Fat Chance. No Way. Block It. Enough. Collaboration with Nora Stephens. Performance at Soundance as a part of Women in Motion Salon #15.
April 20th: Live on Heritage Radio on the show Primary Food with DjCherishTheLuv and Tim Okamura
April 9th - May 15th. School of Education Gallery at Bodies in Space: Between dance, art and technology. Collaborative Piece - Pendulum Sky. Nora Stephens made a dance video to my song Pendulum. The piece is called Pendulum Sky.
January 27: Drums on Paper III, Group show, risography prints, Ground Floor Gallery in Brooklyn
January 26 and 27: Untitled Together: Group Performance with Nora Stephens, Eli Tamondong & Naomi Ramirez, Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn, NY

2016

October 30th: Concert at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Keys and Drums (Elder Merchant)
September 18th: Mercury Lounge, Performance with dj/violinist DjCherishtheluv.
September 14th: Roost 222 Ave C, East Village, NYC. Featured at DjCHerishtheluv's weekly dj-set
May 20th: Design Show - Femmes Finale Friday - at Community 54, East Village, NYC
May 20th: Cecilie Beck & The Elements. Concert at PIANOS, LES, New York City
April 29th: Cecilie Beck & The Elements. Concert at The Bitter End, Greenwich Village, New York City
April 21st: Cecilie Beck & The Elements. Concert at The Pine Box Rock Shop, Bushwick, New York
April 1st: Cecilie Beck & The Elements. Concert at the West End Lounge, Hells Kitchen, New York City
March 20th: Cecilie Beck and the Elements. Concert at Nublu. East Village, New York City
March 2nd: Concert at Black Bear Bar, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
Feb 2nd: Concert at Arlene's Grocery. Dancers: Grounded View
Jan 14th: Rockwood Music Hall - release of the album Here is Now. Dancers: Grounded View

2015

12th + 13th of December: "Notes to a Friend". Group Show curated by "Untitled Mondays" at Hou Yee Chan Gallery in Los Angeles.
Nov 19th - 24th. Showroom. Sound Piece for Korean designer Pepper Kim's Collection <Screenshotyou> in London
June 27th: Darnish Darlings: Concert at Bar Matchles
June 13th: What Might be left to Say. Group Show by curators Alicia DeBrincat and Patrick Templeton. Interpretation of Allen Ginsberg's Poem Howl.
June 5th. Concert at Nublu
May 5th: Concert at The Spot at Trump Soho. Single Release
March 4th: Performance at EVENTLAND's The Pop-Up-Shop on 103 Allen St, New York City
February 14th: Valentines Concert at Donna's Cocktail Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
January 2nd: Sound Performance - Cecilie Beck on piano and Laura Jervidalo Ravn on the dance floor at the Opening of Brooklyn Wildlife 12-days of Art, Bishop Art Gallery, Bedstuy, Brooklyn, New York

2014

December 29th: The Film - Conceptual performative art show at Shervin's in the East Village, New York
October 18th: Soloshow, Drawing Exhibition at Peter Møller Kunstformidling in Randers, Denmark
September 2nd : Release concert at Literaturhaus with drummer Birk Storm. A Space between Spaces EP.
September 2nd : Exhibition - A Space between Spaces - on ship Donna Wood in Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark
Feb 24th: Sound performance (piano vocal drawings) for One Night Only with Too Many Girls at Kunstnernes Hus / The Artists'House: museum in Oslo, Norway
Feb 23rd: The Strangers run on Ice; Audiovisual performance at Spikersuppa Sound Gallery in Oslo, Norway

2013

Dec 19th: Rays of Silhouettes: Show at NUBLU in East Village NYC with Compton TImberwolf
November 23rd: Show with Compton Timberwolf at Paper Box's Kink Party, Brooklyn, NY
October 14th: Fire in the Sea: Show at Red Door. Drummer Compton Timberwolf. Supported by grant by The Danish Arts Council
21st and 22nd of September: Songs Without Music, art show and concert at Bushwick Art and Shipping. Drummer ComptonTimberwolf
September 15th: Spoken word. I performed one of my Songs without Sound at the Joseph Jarman tribute at Shapeshifter Labin Brooklyn
7th of September: Performance at Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival at Paper Box in Brooklyn NY- solo and later with Lauren Sarah
26th-31st of July: had a photo piece from my series Window "Bushwick Avenue" at the show 'Group Exhibition' in Copenhagen
11th of July: Performance at Silent Barn w/ human beat boxer Matt Cross and rapper Que Cee
10th of July - August 17th: Lenore Malen presented our collaborative video/sound piece at the exhibition Matinée at Lesley Heller Gallery, LES, NYC
6th of July: Improvised performance at Paper Box, Brooklyn, with dancer Laura Ravn. Interactive piece with the audience. 2freestyle rappers and 1 human beat boxer joined us on stage
24th of May: Thesis Exhibition at Charlottenborg Kunsthal, Copenhagen, PORTRAIT NYC. I created a concept and invited 28 people to collaborate with me: sarubozu.com/portraitnyc
24th of May: Launch of the project PORTRAIT NYC at Red Door in Chelsea. I created a concept and invited 28 people to collaborate with me
29th of March: Exhibited 2 drawings at The Spring Expo at Greenpoint Gallery
February: Performed at Ivy House Studios with dancer Laura Jervidalo Ravn and musician Ayler Young
Made stop motion film/poster for "Brooklyn Wildlife presents 12 Days of Art"; Festival in January

2012:

11th of October: Had my song "Out on the Bridge" exhibited on Brooklyn Wildlife's Fall mix tape
27th of June: Performance with Dynasty Electric at Glasslands in Brooklyn.
3rd of April: "It's a small small World": Group Exhibition curated by Hennessy Youngman. Family Business Gallery, 520 W 21stSt - I made the performance Wall of Fame
16th of March: 2 interactive performances at the event Slip'n'Slide at 255 McKibbin St. Bushwick: Collaboration with Michael Ratulowski,www.michaelratulowski.com/

2011:

4th of June: Performance; Meanwhile back at the Ranch at Basso in Berlin. Collaboration with artist Annika Lundgren.

2010:

August: "Book Exhibition". I curated an exhibition that took part in public space in Berlin. Artists were invited to exhibit theirartist books and zines on a wagon that was driven around the city parks and streets.
Escape and Refuge: Exhibition with performances. I exhibited my album in Literaturhaus in Copenhagen and later atKonstfack Gallery in Stockholm.

2009:

Exhibition at Konstfack Gallery: Let's say Somethings, collaboration with artist Nathalie Wuerth: http://www.nathaliewuerth.com/lets-say-somethings-2/

2008:

Solo Exhibition with paintings at Månefiskeren, Christiania, Denmark
Group exhibition at Danske Grafikeres Hus, Copenhagen, Denmark

GRANTS AND RESIDENCIES

2023:

Preliminary Research Grant from Realdanias campaign Underværker for the development of our culture house ISLA (then called Stella Polaris Arts). Title: Project Owner

2021:

Artist grant from Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen, Coronakunststøtte, kr. 92.000

2018:

Refugie DJBFA residency at Skrova Fyr, Lofoten Norway - songwriter residency

2018:

Work Grant from DJBFA, 30.000 dkr

2017:

Work Grant from the Danish Arts Foundation, 75.000 dkr

2011:
August: Grant from L.F. Foghts Fond, 20.000 dkr for a visitor program at Parsons, The New School, New York City

2012:
Grant from Frk Marie Månsson, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Denmark: 10.000 dkr

2013:
October: Grant from The Danish Arts Council, Denmark: 15.000 dkr

Other

2014

Class in 2-tone letterpress printing with artist Richard Orussa at Soho Letterpress
Course in marquetry with harpsichord creator André Christophe, Nîmes, South of France