Not Vital (Sent, 1948) studied in Rome and Paris before moving to New York in 1974, where he began his artistic career. Vital has built a reputation as an artist-nomad driven by a passion for exploring far-flung places and setting up new homes and sites of production. This obsessive urge to, as it were, situate his art in a global framework and his fascination with other cultures and ways of life have guided him on a five-decade-long peripatetic quest around the world. Over the years, Vital has established studios in Brazil, Chile, China, Italy, and Niger, working with local craftsmen and immersing himself in their traditions and cultures.
Vital’s work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions, including the 49th Venice Biennale (2001), curated by Harald Szeemann, and the 17th International Architecture Biennale (2021). Major solo institutional exhibitions were held at Kunsthalle Bielefeld (2005); the Arts Club of Chicago (2006); UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2011); Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield (2016); Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki (2018); Museum der Moderne, Salzburg (2020).