David Lieske

From February 2015, mumok is showing a solo exhibition by the German artist David Lieske (born 1979 in Hamburg). Entitled Platoon (RL-X), this exhibition addresses the close connection between legend and work and between the person and the product of the artist. It is the central premise of this exhibition that the artist and the work stand in a complex relationship to each other, and that today the borders between art and work are fluid. The exhibition focuses on Lieske’s autobiography in book form, I tried to make this work, in which he tells the story of his life in an idealized retrospective. The text is based on conversations over several weeks recorded by the author Ingo Niermann and was translated into English by Michael Ladner. The book will be presented in an edition of 300 copies, as an autobiographical sketch that can only be read on site.

In the course of describing his own life, Lieske also presents the social network within which he operates. Together with Peter Kersten he is a co-founder of the record lable Dial Records, and manager at the Mathew Gallery.

From his extended circle of friends, he has invited the Villa Design Group, which is represented by his gallery, to create a parallel architectural intervention within the mumok Ludwig Goes Pop exhibition, which also opens on  February 11, 2015. On Level 3 of the museum, they will set up their Bernard Natan Centre for the Arts, with a direct view of Claes Oldenburg’s Mouse Museum (1960–1977) and Ray Gun Wing (1961–1977), pursuing a museum master plan that is just as spectacular as Oldenburg’s major works. By extending into this exhibition, Lieske’s show demonstrates the afterlife and ubiquitous role of Pop Art in contemporary art.

In conjunction with the exhibition, The Bernard Natan Centre for the Arts by the Villa Design Group will also be opened on this evening.

The opening will be followed by a DJ set by Lawrence (Dial Records) & Bianca (Mathew Gallery)