Lothar Hempel (born 1966 in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

) is a German artist based in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. He attended

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo, Ma ...

from 1987 to 1992.

Artistic practice

Hempel transforms the exhibition space into a stage on which the visitor becomes an actor in a story full of cross-references and contradictions. The works are at once the synopsis, the set, the characters and the props of a play. They represent the different parts of a narrative created out of references to

German history The concept of Germany as a distinct region in Central Europe can be traced to Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as ''Germania'', thus distinguishing it from Gaul. The victory of the Cherusci, Germanic tribes ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, Greek tragedy,

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

, political and social history, neurology, and

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th ...

, for instance.. Hempel borrows a number of different styles and strategies, whether invented by

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

Constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in the Soviet Union in t ...

, the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

or Joseph Beuys. He uses visual metaphors by incorporating images or found objects.

Exhibition history

In 2007 Hempel's work was the subject of the retrospective exhibition 'Alphabet City' curated by Florence Derieux at Le Magasin, Grenoble. Museum exhibitions include Casanova, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin (2008); Concentrations 42,

Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the A ...

, Dallas (2002), and Propaganda,

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

, London (2002). Lothar Hempel's work has been included in the exhibitions ''Heaven'', Athens Biennale (2009), ''Le Song D’un Poete'', Frac des Pays de la Loire, Nantes (2009); ''Beaufort 03'', Triennial for Contemporary Art, Blankenberge (2009); 7th Gwangju Biennial (2008); ''Pale Carnage'', Arnolfini, Bristol and DCA, Dundee (2007); ''Imagination becomes Reality''. Werke aus der Sammlung Goetz, ZKM – Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe (2007). Hempel has exhibited regularly since 1991, during which time his work has been seen in exhibitions at art institutions, among them: the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

;

Tate Liverpool Tate Liverpool is an art gallery in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The gallery was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corporatio ...

, ICA, London;

Stedelijk Museum The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (; Municipal Museum Amsterdam), colloquially known as the Stedelijk, is a museum for modern art, contemporary art, and design located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

, Amsterdam;

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

, New York;

Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago is a contemporary art art gallery, museum near Water Tower Place in the Near North Side, Chicago, Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The museum, which was established in 1967, is on ...

;

Portikus Portikus is an exhibition hall for contemporary art in Frankfurt am Main, that was founded in 1987 by Kasper König. The museum is part of Frankfurt's Museumsufer (Museum Riverbank). Portikus presents the work of both internationally renowned ar ...

, Frankfurt am Main; Secession, Vienna;

Centre Georges Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...

, Paris. Solo Exhibitions 2018 *Le Terrain Vague, Modern Art, London *Koexistenz, Window on Broad project space, Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA *Gargoyle, Italic, Berlin, Germany 2017 *Oral Heart, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *FUTURE MUSIC, Casado Santapau, Madrid, Spain 2016 *Working Girl, Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf, Germany *Sex and the City, Art : Concept, Paris, France 2015 *Tropenkoller, Modern Art, London 2014 *PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE IT EASY, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *Luggage and Observations, Galerie Klaus Gerrit Friese, Stuttgart, Germany 2013 *Loneliness is a cloak you wear, a deep shade of blue is always there, Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin, Germany *Songs for the Blind, Hezi Cohen Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel *Art Basel Parcours, Museum Kleines Klingental, Basel, Switzerland 2012 *The Story of the Old New Girls, Art : Concept, Paris, France *Opium, La Conservera, Ceuti, Spain 2011 *Suedehead, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2010 *Silberblick / Squint, Modern Art, London *ZOO, Sadler's Wells, London *Pyramix Pix, c/o – Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin, Germany 2009 *Kats, Nerves, Shadows & Gin, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *Rise and Fall, MGM, Oslo, Norway *Cafe Kaputt, Gio Marconi, Milan, Italy 2008 *Casanova & Other Problems, Modern Art, London *Casanova, Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland *Signal, Art : Concept, Paris, France 2007 *Alphabet City, Magasin – Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France *Modern Art, London *Effetti Speciali, Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany 2006 *Vanessa Baird - Me, myself and the other one, Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany *Umbrella, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *Tarantella, Bar Ornella, Cologne, Germany 2005 *Casa Musica (extrema), Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany *Butterfly, c/o Alte Gerhardsen, Art Nova, Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami, FL, USA 2004 *Fieber/Fever: 5 New Paintings and Other Stories, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *Ikarus, Art : Concept, Paris, France *On The Olympus, Unlimited Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece *Versteck!, with Petra Hollenbach, Parkhaus, Düsseldorf, Germany 2003 *Der Gesang der Vögel ist Sinnlos!, The Song of the Bird is Nonsense, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2002 *Diamanten, c/o Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany *Fleisch: Maschine, Magnani, London *Concentrations 42, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, USA *Propaganda, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London *Wespennest, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, USA 2001 *Magnet, Art : Concept, Paris, France 2000 *Das Orakel l’chelt. das Orakel lacht. das Orakel l’chelt, Ars Futura Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland *An Schlaf ist Nicht zu Denken, Lab of Gravity, Hamburg, Germany *Wespennest (Wasps Nest) Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 1999 *Amerika Verschwindet nur das L’cheln Bleibt (America Disappears Only the Smile Remains), Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *KAPUTT und die Folgen (Kaputt and the Consequences), Robert Prime, London *Videos, Centre Saint Gervais, Geneva, Switzerland 1998 *Ein Sandstrand voll Glas (A Beach Full of Glass), Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany *Kunstschnee will Schmelzen, Bureau Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1997 *Samstag Morgen, Zuckersumpf, Robert Prime, London *This Bittersweet Disaster, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 1996 *Strom, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *The Bienenkorb Times, Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany *FRAC Languedoc Roussillon, Montpellier, France 1994 *LOW, Artistbooth, Cologne Art Fair, Cologne, Germany *LA BOUM, with Thorsten Slama, New Reality Mix, Stockholm, Sweden2007 *Alphabet City, Magasin – Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France *Modern Art, London *Effetti Speciali, Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany 2006 *Vanessa Baird - Me, myself and the other one, Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany *Umbrella, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *Tarantella, Bar Ornella, Cologne, Germany 2005 *Casa Musica (extrema), Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany *Butterfly, c/o Alte Gerhardsen, Art Nova, Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami, FL, USA 2004 *Fieber/Fever: 5 New Paintings and Other Stories, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *Ikarus, Art : Concept, Paris, France *On The Olympus, Unlimited Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece *Versteck!, with Petra Hollenbach, Parkhaus, Düsseldorf, Germany 2003 *Der Gesang der Vögel ist Sinnlos!, The Song of the Bird is Nonsense, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2002 *Diamanten, c/o Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany *Fleisch: Maschine, Magnani, London *Concentrations 42, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, USA *Propaganda, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London *Wespennest, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, USA 2001 *Magnet, Art : Concept, Paris, France 2000 *Das Orakel l’chelt. das Orakel lacht. das Orakel l’chelt, Ars Futura Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland *An Schlaf ist Nicht zu Denken, Lab of Gravity, Hamburg, Germany *Wespennest (Wasps Nest) Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 1999 *Amerika Verschwindet nur das L’cheln Bleibt (America Disappears Only the Smile Remains), Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *KAPUTT und die Folgen (Kaputt and the Consequences), Robert Prime, London *Videos, Centre Saint Gervais, Geneva, Switzerland 1998 *Ein Sandstrand voll Glas (A Beach Full of Glass), Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany *Kunstschnee will Schmelzen, Bureau Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1997 *Samstag Morgen, Zuckersumpf, Robert Prime, London *This Bittersweet Disaster, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA 1996 *Strom, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY, USA *The Bienenkorb Times, Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany *FRAC Languedoc Roussillon, Montpellier, France 1994 *LOW, Artistbooth, Cologne Art Fair, Cologne, Germany *LA BOUM, with Thorsten Slama, New Reality Mix, Stockholm, Sweden *OMRON: six videos by Lothar Hempel, Preview Theatre Wardour Street, London *Bewegungslehre (No Future), Buchholz und Buchholz, Cologne, Germany 1992 *240 Minuten, with George Graw, Galerie Esther Schipper, Cologne, Germany

Galleries

Lothar Hempel is represented by Art:Concept, Paris; Giò Marconi Gallery, Milan; Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin/Oslo; Anton Kern Gallery, New York
Stuart Shave/Modern Art
London, and Casado Santapau Gallery, Madrid.

Selected Collections

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway David Roberts Art Foundation, London Centre national des arts plastiques, Paris, France Fondazione Morra Greco, Naples, Italy Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France FRAC Limousin, Limoges, France FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou, France Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst GfZK, Leipzig, Germany Honart Museum / Ebrahim Melamed Collection, Tehran, Iran Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA Sammlung Goetz, Munich, Germany The Saatchi Gallery, London Zabludowicz Collection, London

References

External links

* https://www.artforum.com/print/reviews/200706/lothar-hempel-15382
Lothar Hempel at Gerhardsen Gerner, Berlin/OsloLothar Hempel
in

Frieze (magazine) ''Frieze'' is an international contemporary art magazine, published eight times a year from London. The publication is part of the London and New York–based media and events company Frieze. Frieze comprises two publications, ''frieze'' magaz ...

Lothar Hempel – Painting – Saatchi GalleryArtfacts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hempel, Lothar 1966 births Living people Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni German contemporary artists