atelier van lieshout: manufactuur & slavecity at grimm gallery

cow 2011315 x 120 x 183 cmfiberglassall photos by gert jan van rooij / courtesy of grimm gallery and atelier van lieshout

atelier van lieshout: manufactuur & slavecitygrimm gallery, amsterdamnovember 30th to  january 26th, 2013

set over two sites, atelier van lieshout’s (AVL) double exhibition with grimm gallery brings forth the dutch artist’s latest installation ‘manufactuur’, in conjunction with his previous body of work ‘slavecity’.

manufactuur transforms the fran shalsstraat gallery with a wooden construction of a farmhouse

AVL’s ‘manufactuur’ takes over the frans halsstraat gallery, with a construction of wooden boards, transforming the white cube space to look and feel like the interior of a farm house. within, a mechanical work – a seventeen meter long saw mill powered by human muscle – stands as the centre piece, while sculptures from the studio’s ongoing series ‘new tribal labyrinth’ are displayed amongst it. through ‘manufactuur’, AVL explores notions of our complex society and the existence of over consumption and shortage of raw materials. in particular the ‘new tribal labyrinth suggests an alternative society where we return to simplicity and a self-sustaining way of life.

see designboom’s coverage of AVL’s ‘new tribal labyrinth’ here.

a 17-metre long saw mill stands as the central focus of the ‘manufactuur’ installation

the ‘farmhouse’ is also filled with works from AVL’s ‘new tribal labyrinth’

the ‘manufactuur’ envisions a society which lives off the land and is self-sustaining

la machine celibataire2012159 x 71 x 135 cmmetal, wood, rope

installation view of ‘manufactuur’

left: wervel, 2012, 90 x 90 x 256 cm, fiberglassright: mondrian, 2012, 180 x 98 x 190 cm, steel

‘slavecity’ at keizersgracht gallery

the keizergsgracht gallery space is devoted entirely to AVL’s utopian urban project ‘slave city’ (2005-2009). it brings forth themes related to ethics, nutrition, environmental, protection, organization, management and markets which are being questioned and re-interpreted. the sculptures which embody this work propose a city which is equipped with a highly modern infrastructure of universities, health centres, shopping malls, brothels, abattoirs, museums and other services. the downside is that all of the inhabitants of this imagined city are slaves of the system, that only serves to maximize its profits.

see designboom’s coverage of ‘slavecity’ here.

‘slavecity’ proposes a complex system of structures and urban organization

‘slavecity’ explores a universe composed of highly modern infrastructure

general installation view of ‘slavecity’

hagioscoop, 201215 x 10 x 3.5 mfoam, fiberglass, sand, japanese rice paper

during amsterdam art weekend, as an additional, off-site component of ‘manufactuur’ and ‘slavecity’ AVL’s ‘hagioscoop’ takes over the museumplein. the large cross-shaped diorama is set in the imaginary date of ‘year zero’, housing people as well as livestock. it is the first farm in a series which will encompass a larger group of farmhouses that will function as labyrinths of time, covering ages, history, hope, family, utopia, self-sufficiency, design and deviancy.

hagioscoop, 201215 x 10 x 3.5 mfoam, fiberglass, sand, japanese rice paper