atelier van lieshout sculpts dark and humorous art village for ruhrtriennale festival
photo by atelier van lieshout

 

 

 

forming a lively and chaotic place for visitors to the annual ruhrtriennale festival in bochum, germany, atelier van lieshout has channeled recurrent themes of sexuality, humor and human existence for the installation ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’. the series of sculptures, habitats and immersive environments that form the monumental art village comprises a collection of both iconographic pieces and new works, each embracing a duality between dark and humorous motifs.

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
installation view of ‘domestikator’ at ruhrtriennale, 2015
photo by heike kandalowski

 

 

 

iconic existing pieces and sculptural spaces are distributed around the former industrial ruhrgebiet site including ‘bar rectum’, a cocktail cafe that takes its shape from the human digestive system; ‘the heads, claudia & hermann’, two hollow, face-shaped dwellings; and ‘refectorium’, a theater, meeting point, restaurant and foyer.

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
installation view of ‘domestikator’
photo by heike kandalowski

 

 

 

the focal point of the entire installation, however, is the new work ‘domestikator’ – a monumental, functional artwork that serves as a totem, temple and beacon within the ruhrtriennale’s grounds. the towering figures serve as a symbol for the power of humanity, paying homage to the ingenuity and capacity of humans, but the eventual use of this power to dominate and domesticate the natural environment. the act of domestication, however, often leads to boundaries being sought or even crossed. only a few taboos remain, and it is these taboos that the ‘domestikator’ seeks to address, bringing to mind the ethical dilemmas of our time like bestiality, production and consumption.

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
the installations by night
photo by atelier van lieshout

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘the heads: hermann’ for ‘the good the bad and the ugly’
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘the heads: claudia’ set within the festival grounds
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘hagioscoop’
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
inside the installation ‘hagioscoop’
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘barrectum’, a cafe in the shape of a human digestive system
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
details of ‘barrectum’
photo by heike kandalowski 

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
inside ‘barrectum’
photo by atelier van lieshout

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘workshop for weapons and bombs’
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘trailer’ for ‘the good the bad and the ugly’
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
‘sanitary silos’ serves as toilets for the festival
photo by heike kandalowski

atelier van lieshout ruhrtriennale the good the bad and the ugly
impression of ‘domestikator’ by the artist