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Interview with Joep van Lieshout
As you step into the workspace of Atelier van Lieshout, the smell of acrylic and resin fills the air. Pulling on his apron and gloves, Joep van Lieshout begins cutting pieces of burlap and smearing plaster over his latest work. This is a man that needs no introduction... but here's one anyway.
Having graduated from Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, van Lieshout began his career designing objects that were both functional and sculptural, blurring the boundaries of art, installation, design and furniture. His work typically plays with themes of power, mortality, idealism and socio-political systems.
Since 1995, he has worked alongside a team of dedicated employees and artists under the moniker Atelier van Lieshout. Transforming a former warehouse in the harbour city of Rotterdam into a cooperative workspace, the artist’s work is often the result of a collaborative effort.
Next to the studio lies the 6000 m2 art institution named BRUTUS, a project which he founded as a free space for multidisciplinary artists to develop their work outside the traditional boundaries.
We took some time with Joep to ask him about his work, his inspirations and his aspirations. You can watch the interview below as a video, or listen to it here as a podcast.
The Art Fix edition “La Petite Princesse“ (2023) will be released on 21 November 2023; a prototype was used for this video.
Special thanks to Joep van Lieshout, Arianne Kamsteeg & the Atelier van Lieshout team.
