5 November 2022 – 10 April 2023

The American writer Ray Bradbury said: “Science fiction is the art of the possible.” Under the guise of anticipating the future, it speaks to us of the present. It is a laboratory of hypotheses that manipulate and extrapolate the repressive norms and dogmas of today’s world, its ambitions, social afflictions, opportunities and perils. A Gateway To Possible Worlds exhibition brings together over 200 works from the late 1960s to the present day. It puts the spotlight on the bonds between imaginary worlds and our reality with the help of artists, authors, architects and film directors. It builds on current demands for 21st century utopias to spark debate, inspiration and a form of hope.

Atelier Van Lieshout shows a selection of works from ‘Slave City’: Wall Decoration, Urban Plan Slave City, Minimal Steel Red Lights and Board Room Crockery.

22 September 2022 –13 November 2022

Fifty years after the publication of the Club of Rome report, the 10th edition of the Architecture Biennale Rotterdam is taking stock. The exhibition brings historical research (from 1972 onward), inspiring practical examples (in 2022) and future scenarios (towards 2072) together. This overview paints a picture that is both worrisome and hopeful.

IT’S ABOUT TIME hints at the ever-mounting time pressure under which we are trying to counteract the effects of climate change and connect them to other social challenges. The title also zooms in on time and speed as crucial factors in architecture and spatial design processes and appeals to the profession to work effectively to resolve socioecological urgencies.

Atelier Van Lieshout shows the installation ‘The Clock Which Will Solve Every Problem in the World’, including Pendulum.

24 August 2022 – 18 September 2022

Harmonious Contradiction is the third and final summer exhibition at Sotheby’s East Hampton Gallery and the first collaboration between MASA and Sotheby’s.

Harmonious Contradiction is a group exhibition presenting eight contemporary artists producing polished bronze and brass floor works by Mexico City-based MASA Galeria, in conversation with a selection of post-war and contemporary works curated by Sotheby’s.

Atelier Van Lieshout presents a polished bronze work of two abstract figures that are in the process of taking care of a third person. Caretaker Side Table is part of a series of works representing the different human feelings of love, compassion, sorrow, charity, enjoyment and relaxation.

Sotheby’s Gallery
66 Newtown Lane
East Hampton, NY, USA

Open Tuesday – Sunday: 11am – 5pm

13 July – 28 August 2022

Borrowing its title from a work of the same name, “Utopia” is a sculpture exhibition consisting of 10 works by Atelier Van Lieshout at Château Saint-Maur in Saint Tropez. Visitors are invited to journey to a place with neither noise nor news, but perhaps a bit of wine.

An ongoing theme in Van Lieshout’s work, “Utopia” has been expressed in seminal and legendary works such as “Autocrat”, “Women on Waves”, “AVL-Ville”, “Domestikator” and most recently at
documenta fifteen with “Mama-Werner”. In “Utopia” the journey is the destination. In this context, the exhibition satiates that which we may all crave: a different time, space or tempo. This constellation of sculptures perfectly punctuates a promenade or ‘balade’, seducing us with an idyllic escape.

Open daily, 11.00 AM – 7.00 PM
Free access

24 June  – 11 September 2022

‘Le Voyage’ is about a journey to a better world, a place beyond the horizon where the grass is always greener. The fictional pioneers follow their hearts and the flimsiest of gameplans: anything goes and let’s see what happens. They have no clue where they are going, but they are going, roaming in search of paradise or the next utopia, ready for anything. Their expedition gear take all-purpose and all-inclusive to the next level. Why make a selection when you can bring absolutely everything, from questionable toolkits, an overly large cooking station to a shrine and prosthetics. Luxury is found in abundance, not in quality: the packs are made with suboptimal materials and assembled in a happily chaotic manner.

Click here for more info.

18 June 2022 – 25 September 2022

At Documenta 15, Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA) reflects on climate change and deforestation, connecting knowledge and experiences gained in Colombian rainforests to the forests of Germany. During Documenta’s 100 day duration, artists, activists and people from MAMA’s ecosystem will reflect on how monoculture and climate change have resulted in mass bark beetle infestations in central Europe. Most of the programme will take place in and around the MAMA Werner, a mobile platform for social interaction created by Atelier Van Lieshout and adapted specifically for this occasion.

AVL’s contribution to Documenta 15 is a caravan headed by the MAMA Werner, a powerful vehicle with a trailer that functions as a documentation centre and library. An attached tent provides space for workshops, screenings and other public activities. A 14-metre diameter table will be used for debates and communal gatherings. Behind the trailer sits a pyrolyser, that transforms waste plastics into diesel using thermal decomposition. The installation is completed with the Excrementus Megalomanus, a composting machine that turns human excrement and other bodily fluids into fertilizer. It is outfitted with a toilet and specially designed receptacles for vomit, urine and semen.

Click here for the full program.

Supported by the Mondriaan Fonds.

11 June 2022 – 28 August 2022

OPEN HOUSE is an exhibition that showcases innovative and original forms of habitat through projects from the fields of art, architecture, design and humanitarian aid in the beautiful Parc Lullin in Genthod on the lakefront, 15 minutes from Geneva.

Drop Hammer House represents destruction, recycling and production in a circular economy. It celebrates senseless destruction by violently smashing things. The resulting debris is used to make new sculptures. On top of the ruthless wrecking machine sits the Venus Room, named after the goddess of love, who stands at the beginning of all creation.

16 June 2022 – 19 June 2022

Bosch Parade 2022 is the 9th edition of this extraordinary art manifestation on the water with Hieronymus Bosch as its inspiration. This year’s theme is ‘seduction’. From 16 to 19 June, it promises once again to be an inspiring cruise of the absurd through the historic centre of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, with nineteen idiosyncratic works of art in and on the water.

Atelier Van Lieshout has built an enormous Hammer, which smashes through the water with a compelling heartbeat. With thunderous blows, the hammer, like a floating rat catcher, lures Bosch Parade to follow it. From 26 May.  Atelier van Lieshout will also be exhibiting a number of impressive artworks and sculptural installations, such as the Wellness Skull, Le Foot, Invisible Hand and House of Transition, in the Garden of Earthly Delights, the breeding ground at the Citadel where the artists are working on their objects for the Bosch Parade.

Le Foot at the Garden of Earthly Delights. Photo and credits: Kleurstof

09 June 2022 – 27 August 2022

We live in dark times, with war raging on the EU’s border, more refugees than aid organizations can handle, the smouldering threat of Covid returning in a different guise and the climate crisis looming over us. Joep van Lieshout of Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL) provides some light as the torchbearer of radical change. As a participant in the current documenta exhibition in Kassel, AVL presents a mobile platform for communal action and critical interaction. The exhibition ‘Light in the Darkness’ fulfils Van Lieshout’s mission to enlighten more literally by presenting a wide selection of lamps.

To celebrate its sixtieth anniversary, the University of Twente unveiled a special work of art on Thursday, 19 May: The Head. This 10-metre tall creation by artist Joep van Lieshout has been given a prominent place at the entrance to the university grounds.

Visitors can not only see the work of art from the outside, but can also climb into it. A narrow staircase takes you to a platform on top of the head, where you have a view over the campus on the one hand and the Kennispark on the other.

The Head marks the possibilities and dilemmas on the eve of the fourth industrial revolution, when the boundaries between the physical, digital and biological worlds are blurred. The sculpture is a monument to the waning of human dominance. A totem that marks the crossroads where we are now and a lookout to the future.

Visit The Head at:
Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede

13 May 2022 – 14 August 2022

From 13 May to 14 August the Park of  Paleis Soestdijk will be open for the public to visit the contemporary art exhibition VOORLOPERS (PIONEERS).  Contemporary artists, renowned and new pioneering talents, will address within the exhibition topcial issues such as bio-technology & bio-design, sustainability & recycling, but also the changing view on heritage.

Atelier Van Lieshout’s Darwin will be shown at Paleis Soestdijk. This extremely enlarged purple sperm cell represents the drive for survival, both biologically and socially. Inside is a bed and a small desk, suggesting a think tank to hatch a strategy to remain the fittest and stay on top. The architectural sculpture is part of an exhibition presenting a select group of Dutch pioneer artists.

Tuesday – Friday: 11.00–17.00
Saturday and Sunday: 12.00–17.00

Get your tickets here.

3 June 2022 – 2 September 2022
Le Havre Beach, Le Havre (FR)

As a prefiguration of A SUMMER IN LE HAVRE, AVL has chosen to create a great sperm whale, at the request of the Grand Casino du Havre inspired by Herman Melville’s philosophical novel, Moby-Dick.

AVL strives to present the sea as the true theatre of the human comedy: suffering, evil, pride, madness, tyranny—feelings that Melville personified in the character of Captain Ahab, who saught revenge on the giant white whale that had robbed him of his leg in the past.

This monumental installation is also a manifesto on the power of nature that Jonah had also experienced. The Biblical character had angered God by his disobedience and, as punishment, was swallowed by a whale (literally a great fish) in which he remained for 3 days and 3 nights.

The Whale illustrates both Ahab’s nemesis and Jonah’s imprisonment. Made of steel, a metal created and welded by man, this whale is not slaughtered for its whale oil, as of old, but rests on beach pebbles like a careened ship. A seated man can be seen through the portholes. Is it the artist, Jonah praying for his salvation or captain Ahab questioning his behaviour. Thus presented, the work embodies both human ingenuity and unconquered nature. This is where all its ambiguity lies.

Atelier Van Lieshout artwork on display: The Whale (2022)
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Get your ass on your own Atelier Van Lieshout!

Rules and regulations are wasted on Joep van Lieshout. Ever since becoming a professional artist in the 1980s, he has attacked the art world’s conventions. Alongside unique, non-functional, authentic works, he has produced architecture, furniture and machines.

Some of the furniture is not only beautiful and meaningful, but also very functional. It’s a democratic form of art, accessible to all, yet fulfilling domestic functions. You can have a mind-blowing vision right in your living room and sit on it. And now the furniture is internationally available through this webshop.

Go to www.ateliervanlieshoutshop.com and look for yourself!

Atelier Van Lieshout has transformed Galerie Ron Mandos into a surrealist parallel universe. Makeability – as an ideal – reaches its apex here, overachievement resulting in perverse hyperbole. It’s a confrontation with life itself: the failure, the triumph and the inevitable collateral damage.

EHBO feels like a cross between a field hospital, labyrinth and sculpture garden in which religious iconography gets mixed up with all too human and post-human images. This installation is not for the impassive viewer, here the audience must wander amongst every level of human experience

Galerie Ron Mandos
Prinsengracht 282
1016 HJ
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Open Wednesday – Saturday | 12:00 – 18:00
Sunday | 12:00 – 17:00

Book your timeslot here.

29 May 2021 – 17 October 2021

The Amsterdam Sculpture Biennial presented an exhibition to experience featuring over 80 figurative sculptures and spatial art installations. The heart of the exhibition lies in Berlage’s monumental Plan Zuid area with its leafy avenues Apollolaan and Minervalaan. This green space served as a backdrop for the theatrical grouping of modern and contemporary figurative sculptures which were interspersed with interactive spatial installations. ARTZUID 2021 included an extensive peripheral programme of activities including artist talks, an educational programme and art walks. Every edition the free exhibition is open 24/7.

Atelier Van Lieshout artwork on display: Utopia (2020) and Darwin (2008)

16 October 2021 – 24 October 2021

At Dutch Design Week 2021, architect and former chief government architect Floris Alkemade will present an exhibition in the form of a labyrinth on behalf of the Board of Government Advisors and together with World Design Embassies.

The labyrinth represents ‘the art of changing direction’. It is about exploring new ways of observing, thinking, and acting. The labyrinth consists of three parts. The first part is about social changes and the search for solidarity. The second part is about our desire for control in uncertain times – for better or for worse. And the third part is about our ability to dream and imagine brighter futures, and a call for joint action based on solidarity.

Floris Alkemade is one of the three DDW Ambassadors of 2021. The labyrinth is part of World Design Embassies and can be visited from 16-14 October at Dutch Design Week (DDW) in Eindhoven. The exhibition is located at the heart of the design festival, in Klokgebouw at Strijp-S.

Atelier Van Lieshout artwork on display: Rider of the Apocalypse (2020)

30 June 2021 – 15 August 2021

On the cutting-edge of art and technology, FAKE ME HARD explores the complex reality of the 21st century with futuristic installations by over 40 artists, performances, and debates. Visitors await an uncanny landscape that they can enter safely, each with their own fake profile. Music-making robots set the tone playfully and with humor. A low hanging light haze leads the way. Do algorithms determine what is fact or fiction? Are human narratives slowly becoming irrelevant? How to survive the post-truth society?In the year 2021, we can no longer afford to feign that technology is neutral. In these times of deepfake videos and populism, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between ‘real’ and ‘not real’. See the promo video here.

Thursday – Sunday 12.00 – 22.00 Keileweg 18, RotterdaTickets

Atelier Van Lieshout artwork on display: Sacrifice (2020 – ongoing)

2 June 2021 – 6 June 2021

Bringing your favourite film to the market square, Atelier Van Lieshout’s Werner – Guerilla Cinema is a cinema on wheels visiting neighbourhoods in Rotterdam. The vehicle, a colossus that balances between tractor and armoured vehicle, has been converted into a mobile cinema specially for the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The name is a tribute to cinema daredevil Werner Herzog.

Atelier Van Lieshout artwork on display: Werner (2021)

30 April 2021 – 29 August 2021

CityLab RAUM in Utrecht has joined with architecture bureau ZUS to host the open-air exhibition ‘RAUM der Lusten‘. The exhibition at the Berlijnplein in Utrecht presents an exciting alternative to the often-monotonous design of our public spaces.

The concept for RAUM der Lusten was inspired by the iconic painting The Garden of Earthly Delights’ by Hieronymus Bosch. Like the painting, the exhibition is a triptych of three landscapes: ‘Paradise’, ‘The World’ and ‘Hell’. The visitor is an integral element of the exhibition, in which each landscape offers a unique experience through its individual programme and works on display.

In the ‘Paradise’ dune landscape by Studio Ossidiana, visitors can lounge, play and enjoy a bite to eat. ‘The World’, designed by architecture bureau ZUS, emphasises collectivity, with an expansive community kitchen garden as its focal point. In the dark, infernal ‘Hell’ landscape, you can find work by artists Maarten Baas, Atelier Van Lieshout and Andrea Hasler.

The exhibition offers plenty to explore and experience; from playful strolls to podcasts, film screenings and foraging tours. For the full programme of events, see the RAUM website.

Atelier Van Lieshout artworks on view: BarRectum (2005)

14 February 2021 – 15 August 2021

This exhibition interweaves narratives about the architecture of fertility, the space shaped by social attitudes, and the women who ensure a better future for upcoming generations. At this exhibition’s core are the heroines, the ladies on the barricades, the spatial consequences of the struggle for self-determination of the body and fertility regulation.

Bureau Europa invited curator Malkit Shoshan (Harvard Graduate School of Architecture and Design) to present her research and exhibition project Love in a Mist. Bureau Europa’s curator Remco Beckers elaborates on the exhibition through the prism of our region’s context

Atelier Van Lieshout artwork on display: The Womb (2003)

1 October 2021 – 31 March 2022

At the Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, designers and artists are shining the spotlight on technological innovation. Not only do they add aesthetic value through the power of their imagination; they also help promote a wider acceptance of new technology, resulting in a more beautiful and better world.

The artistic programme, which was put together by Monique Ruhe, seeks to stimulate the senses. As soon as they enter the semi-sunken pavilion, visitors are surrounded by the fragrance of Mastenbroek polder, an olfactory installation by Birthe Leemeijer. In his photographs Kadir van Lohuizen captures the effects of climate change and contemporary food production in a probing way. Joep van Lieshout’s clocks sound as if they are heralding the end of time. Or is it the dawn of a new age?

The Netherlands Pavilion will be located in the Sustainability District, sharing expertise in the area of water, energy and food – www.dutchdubai.com

‘The Breakdown Economy’ is an online exhibition about making and destroying things. It’s not about economic growth and efficient production, but about the limitations of this model. How do we destroy everything that we, as humans, have made? In this discussion you can assume a radical position and lump everything together or adopt a more pragmatic attitude whereby a ‘breakdown economy’ is in balance with nature. What connects all these ideas is not just that things can be done differently, but that they must be done differently.

The research by Studio Klarenbeek & Dros into a world without plastic is placed centrally in this exhibition. They have developed a material called ‘weed-ware’ which is a natural degradable alternative to plastic. Atelier Van Lieshout shows a recent version of ‘Disco Inferno – Happy End of Everything’ (2020) which is an ultimate recycle installation that transforms all the waste we collectively produce into crude oil. Koehorst in ’t Veld presents a graphic representation that shows how the bio-based and the fossil economy have, over time, related to each other.

More information about the project via the Boijmans van Beuningen website.