Drenkeling
Bronze
93 x 118 x 211 cm
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Phoenix
Steel
Diverse measurements
The installation consists of two works Drop Hammer House and Phoenix – together harnessing the power of industrial processes in homage to the former Viennese working class neighborhood where the exhibition FOKUS FAVORITEN is taking place. Drop Hammer House quite literally smashes metal objects (including cars) into fodder for new products while Phoenix is a series of kilns used to cast iron, smoke fish, bake bread and incinerate waste, transforming detritus into new energy.
Phoenix (2019) was part of the following exhibition(s):
‘De Verleiding‘, Bosch Parade, ‘s Hertogenbosch (NL), 2022
‘House of Transition’, Fokus Favoriten, Vienna (AT), 2019 – 2020
‘Ferrotopia‘, NDSM, Amsterdam (NL), 2018
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Endless Column
Steel
80 x 80 x 440 cm
The sculpture is both contemporary and utopian, primitive and archaic, a tribal object mixed with modernism.
Some forms are cubic and mathematical, others irrational and intuitive, and follow the logical engineering of the body’s bones and tissues, all connected with reason and purpose. With reference to a world of rites and rituals, the totem embraces the optimism of construction and new energy, the emergence of a new world order , rejecting old order, and the artist’s embrace of the industrial revolution, art, and science, to create Neo-futurist symbols connected to the ruins of the past.
Endless Column (2015) was part of the following exhibition(s):
‘Let’s Get Physical’, Atelier Van Lieshout, Rotterdam (NL), 2020 – 2021
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Vulture
Composite
430 x 215 x 515 cm
Vultures are as imposing as they are repulsive. Death is near when this scavenger arrives. However, vultures are also resourceful, persistent and an indispensable link in many ecosystems.
Joep van Lieshout has depicted a stylised vulture: powerful, yet cold, far from approachable. This beast has the beauty of efficient kitchen tools. Lacking the nobility of an eagle or hawk, birds that, unlike the vulture, often appear in family crests and on flags. Anyone who sits on this sculpture’s pedestal takes a seat on the vulture throne; the seat of an amoral ruler. However, beneath the herald of death’s talons lies an egg: a symbol of new life.
According to Van Lieshout, artists are comparable to vultures. They devour everything that might serve as inspiration, old and new, and are viewed with suspicion. Van Lieshout would have preferred to see collectors viewed as vultures: as they hungrily circle vulnerable art.
Vulture (2022) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Franziska, D’Haus, Düsseldorf (DE), 2022 – 2023
Art Rotterdam, Galerie Ron Mandos, Rotterdam (NL), 2024
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Statue of Liberty
Composite
200 x 250 x 700 cm
Freedom isn’t a given and as such is something to fight for, make a stand for and something to protect. Atelier Van Lieshout molds this realization in an amalgam of different forms connected to the idea of metaphorical or more physical fighting for your rights.
Statue of Liberty (2018) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Amare, Brugge, (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Psychiatrists Office
Fiberglass
400 x 350 x 130 cm
If the ground floor with its machines and pipes represent the organs and circulatory system of the body, then this floor represents the mind and the soul: the control room of ‘Disco Inferno’.
On show is the latest work from Atelier Van Lieshout: a psychiatric examination room with a specially designed sofa and other surreal-looking furniture. Here Joep van Lieshout, creator of the ‘Disco Inferno’ and instigator of all this machine violence, is endlessly and exhaustively interrogated by psychoanalysts, clinical psychologists and shamans to ultimately find out what the work is about.
Cranium (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Disco Inferno, BRUTUS, Rotterdam (NL), 2023 – 2024
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Pyrolyzer
Mixed media
810 x 190 x 285 cm
The Pyrolyzer converts waste plastic and old car tires into heavy oil, diesel oil, petrol and gas. The waste is melted in a large, rotating heated boiler. The resulting gases are condensed, separated and purified into usable fuel for all ‘Disco Inferno’ machines and generators. The Pyrolyzer keeps the entire engine room running until all the available waste plastic and rubber has been used.
Pyrolyzer (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Disco Inferno, BRUTUS, Rotterdam (NL), 2023 – 2024
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Shredder Launderette
Mixed media
390 x 170 x 250 cm
The launderette is a white upper world where everything that has become grimy in the ‘Disco Inferno’ is cleaned. Underneath the launderette is the shredder that grinds cut-up car tires and plastic waste into raw material for the Pyrolyzer.
Shredder Launderette (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Disco Inferno, BRUTUS, Rotterdam (NL), 2023 – 2024
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Ball Mill
Steel
200 x 100 x 150 cm
Ball Mill (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Disco Inferno, BRUTUS, Rotterdam (NL), 2023 – 2024
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Carolus Magnus
Mixed media
750 x 600 x 800 cm
Carolus Magnus has three floors:
1. The Gold Digger, a machine for mining gold yourself, thereby gaining wealth, power, independence and influence.
2. Reliquarium, hiding a great, unsolved mystery.
3. Charlemagne’s Throne, where power, magic, faith and superstition come together.
Carolus Magnus (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Disco Inferno, BRUTUS, Rotterdam (NL), 2023 – 2024
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Laocoon
Bronze
225 x 180 x 150 cm
Atelier Van Lieshout’s sculpture brings together a group of human forms, gathered in a huddle, intertwined, limbs merging and morphing, in a celebration of friendship and togetherness. The work takes its title from the myth of Laocoon, the Trojan priest who warned of the Horse delivered by the Greeks and attempted to destroy it, and was punished by Gods, who blinded him and sent snakes to attack Laocoon and his two sons.
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Successor
80 x 50 x 215 cm
Bronze, concrete
Regret, disappointment, shame. All this can be deduced from the way the head hangs, those sloped shoulders and the rag doll as a last vestige. Although Successor is a minimalist sculpture – there is no face with sad eyes or a pouty lip, and it even lacks fingers – it’s enormously expressive. It’s an archetype that is universally recognisable and that everyone can identify with.
Everyone except its creator Joep van Lieshout that is. He knows no shame and considers regret a waste of time. He has to save the world with an overwhelming gesture, crush enemies, leave indelible marks and write history. Yet this sad little man with his shapeless cuddly toy appears again and again in his sketchbooks. As if it worms its way out of the artist’s subconscious through the pencil onto the paper. As Successor – descendant or heir – he takes on the emotions foreign to his creator.
Successor (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Beeldengallerij Haarlem, Haarlem (NL), 2023 – 2025
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Never, Never, Never Give Up
Mixed media
1100 x 600 x 850 cm
Never, Never, Never Give Up is an artists’ studio reflecting on the end of the world and how to prevent it. It is a collection of three buildings developed by Atelier Van Lieshout, in which positive action and positive thinking go hand in hand with the possibility of doomsday scenarios.
The three buildings include: a housing unit, an atelier and a prepper’s den (survival bunker). Artists, curators and researchers temporarily residing on Ruigoord can stay and work here. Visitors to the oasis are welcome to descend and visit this survival bunker deep underground.
With Never, Never, Never Give Up, Van Lieshout appeals to the DIY spirit that AVL shares with the sanctuary that is Ruigoord. The addition of the prepper’s den (a shelter where someone can survive war or the end of the world) plays on the current sense of threat felt by many. However, in Ruigoord, danger comes in many forms and is ever present. The green, peaceful oasis is coming under increasing threat by surrounding industry and encroaching housing development. Yet a creative resistance persists here, in the midst of seemingly overwhelming economic forces.
Never, Never, Never Give Up (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
50 jaar Ruigoord, Ruigoord, Amsterdam (NL), 2023 – 2026
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Volvo
Mixed Media
125 x 160 x 560 cm
Volvo is an abstract, Dadaesque work of art. Its random shape is decided by mechanical forces instead of deliberate artistic intervention. Its authorship is beyond human, its form timeless.
The work was ‘made’ by Drop Hammer House, a large functional sculpture that represents destruction, recycling and production in a circular economy. The work is a machine of destruction, a place for creation and also a home, providing room for the fictional Venus/destructor to become one with the process of destruction.
Volvo (2020) was part of the following exhibition(s):
‘The Clock Which Will Solve Every Problem in the World‘, Kunstraum, Dornbirn (AT), 2020
The Rebellion, Luxembourg Art Week, Luxembourg (Lux), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
The Successor
Bronze and Concrete
300 x 380 x 400 cm
Farming followed hunting and gathering. What started with the cultivation of small parcels of land ended with the rise of large, professional companies that have found a balance between seasons and systems. Once run by parent, child and helper- today’s farm is high-tech and increasingly run as a business rather than a `family affair’. The helper is still there, but the child more often follows a path that is removed from farm life. Instead, robots now play a central role in farming and Lely is the forerunner in helping to bridge this transition.
Atelier van Lieshout’s “The Successor” pays tribute to the farming family of yesterday, today and tomorrow. This bronze sculpture seems to grow out of the earth and has a robust posture.
The figures in this ensemble represent today’s farming family, they are ready to solve any opposition or problem and support their livestock by any means or invention imaginable. The concrete plinth refers to a mound, the oldest architectural tool to secure the early Dutch farmland from the sea.
“The Successor” is permanently placed in front of the new Lely Campus, realized by architect Machiel Hopman of Converse Architects – a destination for innovation and farming of the future. This work is about an evolving craft within the profession, while offering cows the right to choose and live “freely”.
“With this new technology cows get a spa treatment and milk on their own body clock, this is the most humane use of technology, maximum animal rights for all the cows we love . “Joep van Lieshout
Lely
Cornelis van der Lelylaan 1
3147 PB Maassluis
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
La Petite Princesse
Bronze
48 x 48 x 236cm
Tender, sweetness, innocence, standard AVL bucket on an expressive pedestal, including vintage socket.
Girl with Bucket (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Art Island, Forteiland, IJmuiden (NL), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Dying Gaul
Plaster
72 x 48 x 48 cm
After the Roman sculpture Dying Gaul, with non-descript egg-ball-head. Die in battle, not as a slave.
Boxing Hares (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Morituri Te Salutant
Plaster
45 x 45 x 120 cm
Morituri te salutant, those who are about to die, salute you. Motto of the gladiator.
Morituri Te Salutant (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Fallen Warrior
Steel
9 x 8 x 22 cm
Fallen Warrior (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Coward
Steel
25 x 14 x 26 cm
Running Warrior, escaping.
Coward (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Those Who Are About To Die, Salute You
Steel
10 x 7 x 28 cm
Morituri te salutant, those who are about to die salute you. Motto of the gladiator.
Those Who Are About To Die, Salute You (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Crawling
Steel
19 x 9 x 9 cm
Crawling (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Soldier and Priest
Steel
22 x 11 x 28 cm
Based on a photo of a Chilean priest giving the last rites to a dying soldier.
Soldier and Priest (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Vengance
Steel
24 x 12 x 35 cm
Vengance (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Comrades
Steel
12 x 12 x 31 cm
Comrades (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Dying Warrior
Plaster
258 x 100 x 188 cm
Inspired by the quintessential Fallen Warrior – the Greek sculpture depicting a fallen Trojan soldier.
War was, is and will always be part of human nature. Here is where culture meets nature.
Dying Warrior (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
The Mondrian
Plaster
84 x 84 x 173 cm
Primitive, pure body in Mondrian.
The Mondrian (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Diving Warrior
Plaster
80 x 80 x 172 cm
Blindly diving in, for ideals, pride and ignorance.
Diving Warrior (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Fallen on Own Sword
Plaster
103 x 93 x 203 cm
On one hand the sculpture depicts the hero that prefers to die by his own hand over surrendering to the enemy. On the other hand, he is the victim of a trap he set up for someone else.
Fallen on Own Sword (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Crushed Warrior
Plaster
68 x 66 x 108 cm
Fallen Warrior, crushed in a box.
Crushed Hero (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Backpack
Plaster
75 x 75 x 145 cm
Falling Warrior with backpack, who is hovering above his bag. Backpack and warrior are not connected.
Backpack (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Battledress
Plaster
82 x 58 x 94 cm
Petrified battledress on brutalistic plinth.
The many pockets make efficient movement on the battlefield impossible.
Utopian, optimistic view of the imminent future, threatened / computed by the surplus of pouches and baggage.
Battledress (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Who, Where, Why
Plaster
76 x 48 x 64cm
Hammer as a tool of transition, seemingly randomly hammering nails in a cross, while there is no front, back, up or down-side of the cross.
This sculpture can be positioned on all different sides.
Who, Where, Why (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Head and Chain
Plaster
65 x 44 x 92 cm
You’re a prisoner of your own thoughts, emotions, (ir)rationality.
Head and Chain (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Boxing Hares
Plaster
92 x 48 x 121 cm
Two opposing hares are by the shape of the frame forced to fight, while they are atied together by their umbilical cords.
This work questions, am I now a traitor, or have I always been one?
Boxing Hares (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com
The Omnipotent
Plaster
25 x 25 x 39 cm
Depending on the way the sculpture is positioned, it can be a hand that begs, or a hand that stops. A hand that protects or a hand without power. Or a hand that. Or a hand that hits the left and the right cheek.
Ghost (2023) was part of the following exhibition(s):
Arena, Nosbaum Reding, Brussels (BE), 2023
For enquiries: please contact Atelier Van Lieshout via info@ateliervanlieshout.com