Christian Larsen

Atelier Van Lieshout:


Atelier Van Lieshout, Untitled, 2008


View of exhibition room I


Atelier Van Lieshout, Female on Bed, 2007


View of exhibition room II

About:

Reproduction

Atelier Van Lieshout – AVL, was founded by Joep Van Lieshout in 1995. Functioning as equal part studio – laboratory – collective and craft practice AVL occupies a gigantic area in Rotterdam. The extended and reconstructed harbor storehouses lodge plastic and weld workshops as well as offices, library and a dining room for AVL’s more than 15 employed.

REPRODUCTION is about the most basic human processes. The body of works shown is reflecting instincts, desires and survival: A female sitting on her bed, a mother proudly showing her child, a caesarian operation, a penis, organically shaped models of brothels and sperm out of a dystopian city and original drawings with topics of houses for extended smelly families and girly heads.

The work of AVL is a mix of discipline between art, design and architecture in applied art as well as autonomous artworks. The artworks are averse of convention and limitations and stretches between machines and sculptures, furniture to buildings, (biogas) installations of utopian (AVL-Ville 2001) and dystopian (SlaveCity) places.

AVL has previously exhibited at the Boymans van Beuningen museum Rotterdam, Sprengel museum Hannover, Macro museum Rome, Museum für Angewandte Kunst Vienna, Walker Art Center Minneapolis. In 2008 AVL will have solo exhibitions at Folkwang museum in Essen and the Ludwig Forum Aachen, Germany.