Nicholaas Chiao is Delighted to Present a Permanent Virtual Exhibition of Contemporary Conceptual Art: The Idols of Niertismus

Niertismus, developed by Nicholaas Chiao, is a fictional, yet realistic, new international religion and ethical-philosophical system centred on the convergence of immortality, crimelessness, and creativity as a transformative vision for human evolution. We assert this dream is achievable. Current initiatives in life extension and technology lay the groundwork. The purpose of Niertismus is to enhance the meaning and quality of life. We invite you to consider how Niertismus principles could align with your beliefs and experiences and to join our ongoing dialogue through regular engagement with our website and participation in our Art Forum.

We live in a rapidly changing and competitive world with multiple potential futures. The power of military competition among nations may result in greater division and fragmentation. Major superpowers, including the United States, the European Union, Russia, and China, pursue distinct agendas and compete for global influence. Modern military technologies, such as nuclear weapons, drone swarms, and countless robotic armies, present existential risks capable of causing widespread destruction in a short period. (Weber, 2024) In this environment, a unifying vision is necessary to guide humanity toward a more promising future. While Niertismus offers such an optimistic vision, we recognise unresolved questions regarding public relations, social acceptance, funding, governance, and the ethical oversight required to ensure its positive implementation. By identifying these uncertainties, we affirm our commitment to intellectual transparency and invite collaborative solutions. As an initial step, we advocate for international dialogues centred on peaceful conflict resolution and ethical arms race. Individuals can also participate in local discussions, promote policy reforms, and support educational efforts aligned with Niertismus, thereby narrowing the gap between artistic vision and social practice.

Niertismus absolutely does not reject competition, especially military competition. Chiao sees the arms race as a key component of technological advancement, but prioritises the pursuit of immortality and crimelessness (Ahrensdorf, 2000). Therefore, it endorses non-lethal methods of combat, such as ethical propaganda strategies and educational advancement tools, as preferable alternatives to wars and open armed military conflict.

The term Niertismus derives from the Russian abbreviation NIERT, which stands for the Scientific Institute of Electronics and Robotics. According to the artist, the global establishment of such institutions will support the integration of Niertismus principles into everyday life. Initially, immortal robots will undertake most human tasks, ultimately allowing humans to achieve a synthesis with robotic precision and immortality.

Niertismus centres on achieving immortality and prosperity through advanced technology and medical science, aiming for universal crimelessness and ecological security. It asserts that wealth comes through creation and aspires to non-harm for all life forms.

Certain scientific projections indicate that future humans may subsist exclusively on solar energy, harvested through clothing merged with solar batteries. ('Back to the Future' Inspires Solar Nanotech-Powered Clothing, 2016) These garments would generate bioelectricity to directly sustain individuals. Additionally, food biomaterials could be enhanced with solar energy, enabling the creation of nutrient-rich milk from water and minerals or the synthesis of other biological substances suitable for safe human consumption. (Pitkänen, 2022) The artist strongly endorses ethical food production utilising 3D printing technology.

In the foreseeable future, advanced 3D printing technologies will enable the production of diverse goods, including clothing, vehicles, and robots. (A study of the development and improvement of fashion products using an FDM type 3D printer, 2019) Traditional professional boundaries will blur as individuals gain interdisciplinary expertise in science, technology, design, and the arts. Niertismus envisions a society defined by wealth, intelligence, and prosperity. Virtual reality will offer prolonged journeys and immersive experiences comparable to cinematic storytelling. In addition, the medicine will enable control over individual memory, allowing humans to erase past experiences and re-enter the world with baby-like sensations, or to directly upload knowledge. A future individual, besides regular human-like existence, will also be able to live the life of other life forms, such as the life of an all-seeing tree in a primordial world, or become a miniature butterfly, which can repeatedly fly around the Earth and other planets on wings, surrounded by visual, physical, and chemical sensations. Ongoing progress in science and the arts will facilitate further innovations.

Just as Renaissance artists such as Giotto, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci created Christian chapels adorned with exceptional art to support the religion of Jesus Christ, Niertismus seeks to establish chapels for a new faith. These chapels will be designed to exist in harmonious dialogue with Jesus Christ, rather than in opposition. Furthermore, these chapels will serve as collaborative art spaces where participants actively contribute to creating new art and surreal playgrounds. Inspired by Renaissance workshops, Niertismus chapels will foster participation by providing environments for co-creation and dynamic artistic meditation. This participatory model reflects our commitment to collective progress and embodies a spirit of unity and shared purpose.

The virtual exhibition features digital sculptures and paintings. "The Order of Days" is an abstract composition of 144 parts that serves as a metaphor for the human life cycle. Nicholaas Chiao drew inspiration from the rhythmic transitions of seasons and life stages, dedicating weeks to sketching natural cycles in abstract studies and immersing himself in the evolving scenery of his local woods to capture the passage of time. Each miniature painting represents significant events and temporal transitions, such as the shift from winter to summer and from youth to old age. The series also illustrates milestones, including birthdays, education, and the cyclical nature of adulthood. The two lower rows evoke a harmonious musical rhythm, symbolising the wisdom of old age—a sentiment Chiao identifies with, as he frequently paints while listening to classical symphonies by Johann Bach.

"Souls of Water" is a sculptural triptych that explores human cruelty toward plant life during harvest and consumption. Motivated by personal gardening experiences, the artist developed a deep connection to each plant, inspiring this work as an appeal for empathy and respect for all living beings. According to a 2022 article, the evolutionary process led to the suffering of quadrillions of sentient beings over millions of years. The artist urges an end to such cruelty by advocating for more compassionate relationships with all forms of life.

"The Gates of Eden" is a sculpture featuring a minimalist shelf filled with books on a range of educational subjects, symbolising the aspiration that a fully educated humanity will inaugurate a new era, mythologically conceived as the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. This piece suggests a return to immortal existence, as depicted in the Biblical Eden, where humanity achieves ultimate knowledge and re-enters a scientific paradise.

The Idols of Niertismus are reminiscent of the work showcased at the 1988 Freeze exhibition in London, which was curated by then-student Damien Hirst, and carry forward its legacy of provoking new ways of seeing and thinking, as highlighted on the exhibition's Wikipedia page. The influence of YBA is apparent in Niertismus through its bold, avant-garde approach and use of unconventional materials, demonstrating a readiness to disrupt artistic conventions and stimulate new dialogues. Inspired by YBA, Niertismus also addresses themes of life, death, consumption, and human vulnerability, frequently employing stark contrasts to prompt deeper reflection. (Damien Hirst, 2025) This artistic heritage enhances the visual narrative of Niertismus, inviting audiences to engage with both its aesthetic and philosophical dimensions.

Nicholaas Chiao is a Belarusian-American artist known for his provocative expressionist paintings and photorealistic representations of museum interiors. He received formal training at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. After immigrating to the United States, he continued his education independently through artistic experimentation, scientific exploration, and practical research.

References

Weber, J. (2024). Autonomous drone swarms and the contested imaginaries of artificial intelligence. Digital War 5. Link

Ahrensdorf, P. J. (2000). The Fear of Death and the Longing for Immortality: Hobbes and Thucydides on Human Nature and the Problem of Anarchy. American Political Science Review 94(3). Link

(November 13, 2016). 'Back to the Future' Inspires Solar Nanotech-Powered Clothing. University of Central Florida. Link

Pitkänen, J. (2022). An elemental perspective to food production – Solar Foods produces a novel ingredient out of electricity and air. Solar Foods. Link

(2019). A study of the development and improvement of fashion products using a FDM type 3D printer. Fashion and Textiles 6. Link

Williams, V. L. & Vucetich, J. A. (2025). Animal Bodies and Futures: Rethinking Ethical Implications of Cultivated Meat and Fish. Food Ethics 10. Link

(2025). Damien Hirst. Wikipedia. Link

Eternal Rain of Beautiful Atomic Stability

2022, plaster, vinyl, approximately 50 x 50 x 8 inches, approximate view. This sculpture serves as a metaphor for the atomic-molecular structure of the world, evoking the idea of atoms and molecules as foundational elements, like LEGO bricks that construct universal realities. The artist began focusing on sculpture after a decades-long period dedicated to refining his painting practice. Like most of his sculptures, this piece is about the achievability of scientific paradise on Earth, about the divine connection between scientific facts and the Biblical miracles. Most sculptural projects were completed between 2020 and 2022. The artist is particularly drawn to teardrop-shaped forms and rhythmically repeated particles, consistently inspired by the notion of a LEGO-like atomic-molecular universe. In addition to these conceptual influences, the artist’s work engages with traditions of geometric abstraction and modularity found in the practices of artists such as Sol LeWitt and Jean Arp, who also explored repetitive forms and systematic structures. This contextual framework situates the sculpture within broader dialogues around the visualization of scientific concepts and the translation of foundational structural ideas into visual art.

The Order of Days

Our life is a calendar, our possessions are a combination of LEGO bricks: atoms, and molecules, so simple that happiness is presented as an achievable universal goal. This artwork, composed of 144 parts by Nicholaas Chiao, exemplifies a comprehensive and methodical exploration of geometric abstraction, inviting comparison with the serial methodologies of artists such as Sol LeWitt and Hanne Darboven. The deliberate arrangement and repetition of the individual components not only highlight the work’s visual unity but also reflect a broader tradition in which the progressive accumulation of modular units conveys both conceptual and temporal meaning. As in LeWitt’s wall drawings or Darboven’s systematic calendar-based works, the repetition here is more than decorative: it embodies the cumulative formation of experience over a lifetime and visually mirrors the way individual life events collectively shape human existence. The structured sequencing of geometric forms recalls similar strategies in minimalist and conceptual art that emphasize both the orderly passage of time and the cyclical nature of the life cycle—each repeated segment evokes stages from birth to death, echoing the universal rhythms explored by these predecessors. By relying on a systematic organization of abstract forms, the piece not only reinforces its thematic emphasis on order, continuity, and transformation, but also positions itself within a lineage of artists who employ repetition and seriality to probe the deeper structures underlying experience, thereby inviting viewers to interpret the work as both a literal and metaphorical exploration of mortality in the broader context of human existence.

The Gates of Eden

2022, books, paper, steel, approximately 50 x 30 x 19 inches, approximate view. This work symbolizes the systematic accumulation of scientific knowledge, serving as a sacred Gates of Eden, suggesting an inherent progression of a society gradually developing scientifically toward the realization of Nietzsche's idea of the Übermensch and the Heavenly Paradise on Earth predicted by the Bible. By employing equal divisions and rhythmic placement of cerulean and red-colored books, the artist transforms the bookshelf into an aestheticized art object, engaging with precedents in conceptual and minimalist art. The work not only echoes the modular strategies seen in Donald Judd’s serial constructions and the systematic arrangements of Hanne Darboven’s installations, but also highlights a shared thematic concern with how repetition and organization can both reflect and question knowledge systems. In each case, regularized repetition and the use of everyday materials become a means to interrogate structures of order, the accumulation of knowledge, and processes of meaning-making. By drawing out these thematic connections, the artist situates the bookshelf within broader discussions about the visualization and organization of information in sculptural practice.

The Solar Woman

2024, mixed media. This anti-naturalistic sculpture embodies the militaristic aesthetic of an Uberwoman, visualized as a half-robotic figure leading masses. The figure’s construction, with geometric segmentation and cubist abstraction, rejects classical anatomy and instead incorporates mathematical order and futuristic design. The segmented, angular surfaces suggest armor or mechanical body parts, visually reinforcing the theme of militarization and strength. By depicting the figure as powered by solar energy, the artist uses formal elements—such as sharp lines, reflective materials, and equal divisions—to symbolize a transition from traditional beauty toward a vision of empowerment and technological advancement, visually connecting the sculpture’s form to its conceptual meaning as a herald of a new era.

The Death Sower Shall Become Death

2022-2023, fabric, paint, stones, plaster, aluminum, carpet, pigment, 70 x 70 x 15 inches, approximate view. Over several years, this sculpture evolved through reworkings and reconceptualizations of a depiction of a medieval leader killed in battle. Stones are arranged to evoke a human form pierced by an arrow at the umbilical cord, symbolizing the intersection of mortality and generational lineage. By referencing the umbilical cord, the sculpture links violent death to the origin of life, thereby foregrounding a philosophical meditation on the cyclical interplay between creation and destruction. The artist explicitly situates this ongoing cycle as fundamentally embedded in human existence, raising the ethical question of whether it is possible—or desirable—to break this chain of generational mortality. The artist argues that only a profound philosophical and scientific transformation can disrupt these recurring patterns of violence and death. In proposing that scientific progress could precipitate such a shift, the work implicitly invites reflection on the moral responsibilities of current generations to seek alternatives to inherited cycles of loss. The sculpture’s somber materials and forms visualize the horror of murder and prompt reflection on the paradox of death. The use of a warm yellow and cool blue palette, cool stone accents, and a fragment of a black blanket reinforces themes of loss, mourning, and transformation, while a centralized composition draws attention to existential change. Referencing works such as Ron Mueck's "Dead Dad" and Damien Hirst's "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," the artist positions this piece within contemporary dialogues on mortality and understanding. The work, conceived amid the artist’s personal crisis in New York City, reflects a heightened search for self-preservation, financial security, and recognition.

The Forms of Water

2022-2023, mixed media. This sculpture interprets the diversity of life on Earth as a metamorphosis of raindrops, which, through repeated cycles, acquire new structural and chemical forms. These forms grow, interact with gravity and each other, and develop a multiplicity of shapes influenced by initial conditions and growth rates. The work employs primary color triads—red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, and purple—and features symmetry, a central focus, and rhythmic repetition, with teardrop-shaped forms as the primary motif.

The Souls of Water

2022-2023, mixed media. This work critically engages with the cruelty inherent in both the human and plant spheres, particularly through the lens of agricultural practices. Visually, clusters of sculpted plant-like forms are interspersed with fragmented, hand-shaped elements, evoking the physical act of harvesting and the severing of life. The use of red and ochre pigments on select plant surfaces suggests bruising or wounding, further underscoring the work’s thematic focus on violence in seemingly benign practices. Notably, the piece advances an original ethical analysis by framing the annual harvest as an intentional act of ending life, compelling a re-examination of commonplace practices that often escape moral scrutiny. By conceptualizing the appropriation of plant bodies as ethically fraught—made manifest in the sculpture’s depiction of uprooted roots and exposed tissues—the work foregrounds complexities that are frequently overlooked. The sculpture's central contribution lies in its innovative challenge to established moral hierarchies: it urges viewers to reconsider the agency and intrinsic value of all living organisms, thereby destabilizing anthropocentric frameworks and confronting the presumption of plant passivity. Additionally, the work proposes a forward-thinking ethical vision by imagining the synthesis of food—referenced visually through metallic, vessel-like forms integrated among the organic shapes—as a potential scientific breakthrough that could disrupt longstanding cycles of harm and appropriation associated with sustenance. Through this multi-layered approach, the sculpture not only critiques existing ethical paradigms but also expands the discourse concerning humanity’s responsibilities, emphasizing the possibility of radically transforming the boundaries of ethical consideration through technological innovation.

My Freedom is My Strength

2022, sculpture. Despite the artist’s supported claim: Do not harm and no harm will come to you, Nicholaas Chiao sees military science as a necessary form of protection. This arrangement presents a series of sculptures symbolizing militarized defenders and guardians, creating thematic links between historical and contemporary understandings of protection and authority. The installation references entities ranging from ancient Roman legions to modern autonomous robots and cyborg beings, illustrating the evolution of defense mechanisms and guardianship. By juxtaposing these diverse forms, the work not only examines how technological progress updates traditional defense strategies but also suggests that conceptions of strength and freedom are continuously renegotiated through shifts in technology and social organization. This critical interplay highlights the artist's insight that the essence of guardianship is less rooted in any single era or technology than in an enduring human impulse to seek security and assert boundaries. By organizing these references into a unified sculptural ensemble, the piece emphasizes that the persistent significance of militarization and protection is shaped by both historical legacy and adaptability, revealing how collective anxieties and aspirations manifest in evolving visual and cultural symbols.

The Solar Woman, Guardian of Heaven

2018, mixed media. This futuristic sculpture draws on and reinterprets the visual practices of Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso. Specifically, the work engages with Moore’s exploration of abstracted human forms and his emphasis on monumental, organic shapes, as well as Picasso’s innovations in Cubism and his frequent deconstruction of anatomical conventions. By referencing these approaches, the artist situates his work within a historical lineage that foregrounds formal experimentation and the transformation of the human figure. Nicholaas Chiao contends that, in the 21st century, the vast accumulation of artistic knowledge renders radical innovation nearly impossible. Instead, technocratic refinement of earlier styles and ideas becomes the primary avenue for advancement. While true novelty may arise only in the absence of prior knowledge, significant progress can be achieved by rigorously refining existing concepts through composition, color, and detail. The sculpture embodies the concept of a sinless being—a woman sustained by solar energy, envisioned as the Guardian of Heaven.

Kiss By Deficit

2023, canvas, oil, acrylic, sizes vary, approximate view. This pictorial composition depicts two lovers kissing. Inspired by Brancusi's famous sculpture of lovers, this painting is cynically titled "Kiss by Deficit," highlighting the similarity between love and the consumption of commercial goods.

Rocket Man, The Bull and Various Artworks in Artist's Studio in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York

2022, sculptures. Since arriving in the United States in 2004, the artist has maintained a home studio, where all paintings, sculptures, and drawings are produced. This continuity of working environment has allowed for the sustained development of the artist's practice, facilitating both experimentation and serial refinement over time. Between 2020 and 2022, the artist's practice evolved, with a heightened focus on sculpture and installation, marking a significant period of artistic transformation. A drawing inspired by the computer game Rambo 2 displayed on the wall highlights the artist’s ongoing engagement with diverse cultural influences and personal interests, which continue to shape and inform the trajectory of their artistic development.

The 21st Century is an Era of Overproduction of Art. New Artist’s Competition with the Museums and Past Masters in the context of superflood by works of art.

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This project in contemporary art emerges as a direct response to the artist’s formative experiences within the New York art world of the 2010s, encompassing both the dynamic environments of Soho and Chelsea galleries and the broader institutional dramas of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, New Museum, and MoMA. By critically engaging with the mechanisms of art display and cultural authority in these settings, the project seeks to interrogate and redefine the artist’s role amid the helm of institutional structures, ultimately aiming to address the broader phenomenon of overproduction of art and to assert artist-driven, highly selective, and limiting art-making and curatorial practices as a model for contemporary and future culture.
The NICHOLAAS CHIAO art project represents an initiative in contemporary art curation that directly responds to the crisis of overproduction and the replication of art characteristic of post-industrial society, favors encyclopedic pluralism, reflecting concerns raised by theorists such as Jean Baudrillard regarding simulacra and the erosion of originality in cultural production. Importantly, Baudrillard's theory of simulacra suggests that the endless reproduction of images and objects undermines the possibility of authentic artistic expression, a phenomenon that the project seeks to address by emphasizing unique acts of artistic agency and curation. Building on this theoretical foundation, the project foregrounds the artist’s agency and draws on Nicolas Bourriaud’s concept of the artist as a 'semionaut,' who not only navigates but also actively constructs new cultural narratives within a saturated field of signifiers. Through the integration of art and design, the project critiques the dominance of institutional authority by proposing a model in which the artist assumes control over authority-making, contesting the institutional mediation that often dictates cultural value. In a context where the sheer volume of public relations belongs to institutions and the majority of the public favor level of museums over individual artist’s practices, often leaving artists overshadowed by elitist curators—except for those Masters with significant experience and fame—this project positions the artist as both creator and curator, reflecting recent theoretical discourse advocating for expanded curatorial authorship as a means of reclaiming artistic autonomy. The centrality of the artist’s curatorial role in Project NICHOLAAS CHIAO thus serves not simply as a pragmatic choice, but as a deliberate critical strategy that interrogates entrenched institutional influences and offers an alternative paradigm for contemporary cultural production. One of the project’s straightforward objectives is to strengthen the market for Nicholaas Chiao’s artworks. Financial support from relevant authorities is considered essential, as the artist views personal financial stability as crucial for enhancing the quality of his work and facilitating the effective presentation of his art in public venues. Another aim is to foster positive social and political change, address global challenges such as climate change, support peace initiatives, and enhance the public image of Nicholaas Chiao in the media. The online museum features a series of curated exhibitions that showcase the most significant achievements of Nicholaas Chiao.

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At present, the project comprises over ten thematic exhibitions, each centered on major historical art styles. These exhibitions adopt a futurist perspective on art, design, architecture, and technology, encouraging viewers to envision a more innovative future. Project NICHOLAAS CHIAO also advocates for universal law and ethics, promoting these principles as the foundation for Niertismus, a new religion conceived by the artist. Niertismus is based on the comprehensive correction of personal mistakes and failures, which Chiao regards as essential for a better life and a stable, sustainable future.