Thomas Hirschhorn

Thomas Hirschhorn ( born May 16, 1957 in Bern ) is a Swiss installation artist.

Life and work

Thomas Hirschhorn lives and works since 1984 in Paris, France. Born in Bern Thomas Hirschhorn grew up in Davos, attended the College of Art and Design in Zurich and won from the mid- 1990s, international recognition for his installations, such as the installation Kunsthalle precarious in Langenhagen (1996). Hirschhorn understood in his own words as an artist who " makes art political ."

Major international notoriety gained Hirschhorn by installing "Swiss- Swiss Democracy " in the Swiss Cultural Paris, 2004. This was reportedly a scandal because they pity the public image of the country. After a wave of indignation in the National Council, the funds were reduced by the amount of the contribution from the Foundation to the exhibition as a punitive action of the Arts Council Pro Helvetia. Bone of contention was the Kollagieren of torture images from Iraq with coat of arms of the Swiss cantons; a detail in for Hirschhorn typical, confusing architecture of the installation.

Another form of installation, Hirschhorn builds up in various cities in public places, the road altar. So far, he devoted his altars four writers and artists: Piet Mondrian, Otto Freundlich, Raymond Carver and Ingeborg Bachmann. In October 2006, he installed for the exhibition project " U2 Alexanderplatz " the New Society for Fine Arts ( NGBK ) in Berlin Alexanderplatz the " Ingeborg Bachmann altar » Metro Station.

Crystal of Resistance is the title of the installation by Thomas Hirschhorn in the Pavilion of Switzerland at the 54th Biennale di Venezia. With this work, Hirschhorn wants to put three questions to his work by its own account. " First: Can my work create a new concept of art Secondly: Can a ' critical body ' base my work Third: Can my work a ' non- exclusive audience ' imply? " Ten weeks in the summer of 2013 in New York City opens its pavilion of Gramsci Monument for local people and international guests in the Bronx.

Thomas Hirschhorn is represented by the gallery Arndt in Berlin.