Zahar Bondar was born in 1992 in Daugavpils, Latvia to two circus artists. His art practice is simultaneously process and result-oriented, just think of a rope walker which is focused on the end point while also fully concentrated on the moment itself. And just like a rope walker, Bondar emphasises concepts of balance and precarity, engaging with voice, bodily movement, the performative use of objects and space, and the dialogue between these.
Performance at Kraut, Köningshof, Austria
As part of the "Forehead Studies" serie, a durational performance for Art Island, Ijmuiden, curated by Juliette Jongma.
For the performance I collaborated with musical artist Pavel Milyakov (aka Buttechno) and exhibitions curator and writer Raimundas Malasauskas. Milyakov's music would play through the megaphone at all times, however Malasauskas's texts would intervene when I was balancing the pole. I had no control over both recordings, switching between the two would happen naturally as I was discovering the island.
Performance evening with Annastate, “ArtBar", BillyTown, The Hague
I got fascinated by the tidal difference in Normandy where a vast land is appearing and disappearing every 6 hours. It just made sense to build a life sized sculpture that would appear and disappear every 6 hours. But I was concerned if it is ethically alright to inrude in the landscape like that. Several times I attempted to speak to the locals who come to the shore to collect snails. To my concerns they would reply like "What sculpture? Listen, let me better tell you something about snails.."
Masterclass with Simone Forti and a performer for her solo show, Vleeshal , Middelburg
Performance in collaboration with Alex Andropolous, Billy town, The Hague
Performance for the Graduation festival, The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
Performance with Alex Andropolous, ”As close to black as blue can be", MegaStores, The Hague
When I came to the Netherlands I couldn’t speak English and couldn’t communicate with my new friends in any other way than by playing music and performing. Back then, before I was accepted to the academy, I already started to perform with Alex Andropolous, ”Old kwantum", The Hague , Nl
In 2010 - 2012 working as an artist equilibrist at Russian State Circus company, I traveled to Tver, Perm, Samara, Saratov, Astrakhan and Tula, Russia.
I revisited those cities. While wondering alone through the city and looking at the certain fountain, building, maybe streets I would recall many emotions from the past. As a tracing paper worked those images for me that layered with the memories that I had, but never knew they existed and how to approach them
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currently working on a book "Soups and Tiles" alongside Julian Sirre and Ola Vasiljeva which will be co-published by Vleeshal and Page Not Found in june 2026
Group show at Stroom, The Hague
A series of workshops in collaboration with artists Fatemeh Heidari and Ola Vasiljeva, Stichting De Vrolijkheid at the Asylum Seeker Centre in Katwijk (AZC Katwijk), commissioned by Page Not Found, The Hague as part of Page of Possibilities series
Contributing to the Kunstverein second to last show alongside Ola Vasiljeva
A workshop for the Team V public program at Vleeshal, Middelburg
Group show at Annastate, The Hague
Performative reading at "I am going to make it, you are going to make it", with the help of a performer: Vincent't Sas.
In the summer me and Alex Andropoulos organised a group show ‘Petanque’ at Annastate, The Hague
Group show, “Koninginnedag Tentoonstelling”, Hgtomi Rosa, The Hague
Group show, “Kifl the kid Saloon”, Billy town, The Hague
Group show of Annastate at Drift, Breda
In february-march I made a long distance ice skate trip to Baikal, Russia where I skated 220km along the north-west cost and slept on ice in a tent.
Group show Progeny, hosted by Peter Brinkman and Titus Bovenberg in their soon-not-to-be atelier
After graduation I was invited to make a solo exhibition at Heden Gallery, The Hague. I produced a new series of sculptures and made an architectural intervention in the gallery, Alex Andropolous made a sound installation , Chloe van Dieppen wrote a poem and Sasha Zalivako worked on photography.
Right after the graduation I went for a one month residency at Aqtushetii in Tushetii, Georgia.
Group show in collaboration with Sasha Zalivako, Outermost Corner, NEST, The Hague
In the summer of 2018 with the Austrian sculpture class from Die angewandte and our professor Hans Shabus, we cycled all the way from Vienna to Brancusi’s Endless column in Targu Jiu. That opened up the world of long distance cycling for me. I have done multiple trips and started building my own frames since.
Masterclass with Tirzo Martha, Museum Beelden aan Zee , The Hague
My first life sized ceramic sculpture was fired at 1280, and it was intended to sit rather indifferently in the dunes of The Hague looking far far to the horizon, awaiting for something. However it didn't stay there for long, it disappeared after just a few days. I was determined to find it, so the next weeks I spent calling Dunea customer service and trying to explain in my broken english the peculiar quest of getting to know what happened with the sculpture in the dunes?
Group show “The Essence”, Vienna, Austria
Group show "Learning from Shans Habus", Shizle , Vienna, Austria
Group show at "Cafe am Heumarkt”, organised by E++ , Vienna, Austria
exchange in 2016 in Die Angewandte, Vienna, Skulptur und Raum department, Austria
Internship at EKWC, Tilburg
Masterclass with Tino Sehgal
I got into the Fine Arts dep. of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, where I started to perform and sculpt
The love for traveling that my family enhanced in me, and the frustration that I had while studying at the Aviation Institue made me step back and go travelling around Europe and Post-Soviet countries. Eventually that brought me to do a residency in Foros, Crimea, Ukraine in 2013
In 2008 I applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute, faculty "Control Systems, Informatics and Electropower systems"
Zahar Bondar ( born in
) in Daugavpils, Latvia