She has cultivated a passion for painting and colour since her early childhood through studies and private lessons following a family tradition. In her youthful years she was encouraged to continue by artist friends such as Giovanni Nonnis, Ausonio Tanda, Guy Harloff, Gianni Dova and Gerda Meyer Bernstein.

She had an classical education and was awarded an M.A Ed. she published short stories, in Rizzoli and Mondadori magazines. For several years she was an art critic for the Unione Sarda, a regional newspaper, and for Informart, a monthly magazine of the G28 Cultural Association.

In the 1980s she developed a deep interest in printmaking and woodcutting with courses in chalcography and xylography in the Aquilone print shop.

In the museum space Exmà in Cagliari she followed advanced printmaking courses held by Giovanni Job and Enk de Kramer.

She also produces artists’ books and collages.

She attended on line two courses on contemporary art at the Tate Modern with a final essay on relations between art and politics, obtaining a PWM.
As an artist she is in the Fluxus movement in the U.S.A. with collaboration and exhibitions.

“Her works, of a conceptual nature, do not disdain forays into tradition, urged by the desire to walk once again the path of the artisan, reintroduced in a contemporary way with a mixture of different materials” (Ilisso Edizioni, Il segno nel libro).

Her research underlines contemporary problems of a social and political nature but since the 1980s, she has also worked on written language and primitive alphabets to which she has dedicated many works and solo exhibitions. Art critic Gianni Murtas presented her exhibition “Nine words” devoted to the Sardinian language. Her works have been acquired by the Art Gallery of the Aberystwyth University, Wales; by the Ministero della Cultura (Gabinetto delle Stampe), Italy; Villanovaforru Museum, Italy; Diboll Gallery, Loyola University, New Orleans, USA. She lives and works in Poggio dei Pini, str 58 n°17, Capoterra, Italy, email: msnilson@libero.it

 

Solo exhibitions

2008 “Fragments and books”,Civic theatre Cagliari, Italy
2007 “Such an interesting place”, collages and artist’s books, Poggio dei Pini Library, Capoterra Italy
2005      Hubble, Hubble, Obra Cultural, Alghero, Italy
2003      Apocalisse Homage to Albrecht Durer, EXMA, Cagliari, Italy
2000      Nove parole, G28 Gallery, Palazzo Marini, Cagliari, Italy
2000      Rastas,(Tracce), Libreria Fantini , Cagliari, Italy
1997      Paesaggi femminili, Libreria Fantini, Cagliari,Italy
1991      Sysaya, Centro Culturale Akropolis, Cagliari,Italy
1989      Pedras, Sala Consiliare, Scano Montiferro, Italy

 

Group exhibitions

2009      “Sei pareti per Gramsci”G28,Cagliari, Italy
2009      ”Under the influence”, Fluxus Museum, Forth Worth, Texas, USA.
2008      “Lasciare un segno”, etchings, Poliartstudio, Cagliari, Italy
2008  “Reliquie”, per Interazioni, tecnica mista su carta, Poliart studio, Cagliari, Italy.
2008      “Femminile plurale”, Teatro Civico di Castello,Cagliari.
2007      ”Lievi…sospesi”Paper’s Mobiles, Spazio Zoom, Cagliari, Italy
2007     11th international collage exhibition Baker’s Dozen, Forth Worth, Texas, USA
2007      Monumento alla pace, mixed medium on canvas, Università Nazionale di Rosario and General Assembly of the United Nations, Rosario, Argentina
2007      La luce, Mail Art, collage, Ambasciata di Venezia, Vicenza, Italy
2007      San Pietro in Carpignano, digital elaboration, Spazio d’arte contemporanea, Quiliano, Italy
2007      Splash, for Spring and Fountains, Mail Art, collage, Maison pour Tous, Alfort, France
2007      Omaggio ad Edgardo Vigo, poeta, digital elaboration, Galleria Boek, Montevideo, Uruguay
2007      Exhibition entitled Solidarity for political refugees, collage, Greek Council for Refugees, Athens, Greece
2006      Volare: Pages of Poetry, Tra foglie, aerial installation, G28, Palazzo Marini, Cagliari, Italy
2006      Sguardo d’Autore,  G28, Palazzo Marini, Cagliari, Italy
2006      Ten Years of G28, G28, Palazzo Marini, Cagliari, Italy
2006      Books of Lead n° 2, 3, 4; Leggere l’arte, Artists’ Books, Biblioteca provinciale, Cagliari, Italy
2005      Small format, G28, Cagliari, Italy
2005      Sixty Years from Liberation, for 25 April, Palazzo Regionale, Cagliari, Italy
2005      Artcard,  Sharjah Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
2004      Proofs for human beings, installation, Arte, Evento, Creazione, Mulineddu, Sassari, Italy
2004      Small format, G28, Cagliari, Italy
2003      Dialectics of Opposites, G28, Cagliari, Italy
2003      Off with the mask!, Galleria Magenta, Milan, Italy
2002      Art is reborn with every artist, on a idea by Beppe Vargiu and Maria Spissu Nilson, G28, Cagliari, Italy
2002      Ancamarogas, at S’Iscolasticu for the town of Dorgali, Italy
2002      Back to the Present, 3rd and 4th parts, Art Gallery of Loyola University, New Orleans LA, USA.
2002      Back to the Present, 3rd part Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Chicago IL (USA),
2001      Christmas Trees, a new interpretation by several artists, installation, Lazzaretto, Cagliari, Italy
2001      Ritorno al presente, Cittadella dei Musei, Cagliari, Italy
2001      13th Biennial Art Exhibition, Municipal Library, Trevigiano, Treviso, Italy
2001      Kronos, installation: wheat and burlap sacks with poem, Ethnographic Museum, San Sperate, Italy
2000      Back to the present, Museum of Villanovaforru, Italy
1999      Mutations, Art Gallery of the University of Aberystwyth, UK
1999      Slittamenti, G28 Gallery, Palazzo Marini, Cagliari, Italy
1998      Red, (Mail Art), organized by the Italian Post Office, Palazzo Robellini, Acqui Terme, Italy
1997      Blu profondo, Associazione Culturale Man Ray, Cagliari, Italy
1997      Sign and experimentation, Centro Culturale Exmà, Cagliari, Italy
1996      For Naitza, Associazione Culturale Man Ray, Cagliari, Isili, Sinnai - Italy
1995      Small format, works on paper, organized by Intergrafica, Cagliari, Italy
1995      The Clouds, dedicated to Pier Paolo Pasolini, organized by Intergrafica, Cagliari, Italy
1995      RTell me a Fable, (Mail Art), Associazione "danzamusicateatro",Cagliari, Italy
1995      Art and Culture for Solidarity, Galleria La Bacheca, Cagliari, Italy
1995      Blue, (Mail Art), Palazzo Robellini, Acqui Terme, Italy
1994      Portrait, Self-Portrait, Galleria la Bacheca, Cagliari, Italy
1994      Christmas, (Mail Art), Casa do Olhar, Sao Paulo, Brazil
1993      Fogli di Festa, organized by Intergrafica, Centro Culturale Exma, Cagliari, Italy
1992      La Posta in Gioco, (Mail Art), Galleria Comunale d'Arte, Cagliari, Italy

1992 Workshop of etching techniques, San Nicolao (Corsica), France