John Bock, Der Pappenheimer, Installation view at Kunstverein Hamburg, 2013. Courtesy the artist and Kunstverein Hamburg. Photo: Fred Dott.
John Bock
Der Pappenheimer
1 May – 30 June 2013
at Kunstverein Hamburg
John Bock (*1965, lives in Berlin) initially studied Business Administration before continuing his education under Franz Erhard Walther at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg until 1997. It was already during this time that he developed the format of lecture performance, which continues to shape his work today. One of the first, in 1992, entitled “Wie werde ich berühmt?” (How do I become famous?), explores the role of the artist, one’s own and social expectations and possible requirements and excessive demands. These actions somewhat misleadingly perhaps referred to as “lectures” unite Dada and absurd theater, the grotesque with self-irony and always directly involve the audience. Sometimes it becomes part of the actions, but often it becomes a mirror of his own presence.
Whereas Bock initially appeared alone on the stage, he was later joined by amateur and professional actors. All of them wear strange costumes, body additions or become part of organic-looking apparatus from which it is not unusual for a slimy liquid to drip. With time the “lectures” morphed into room-filling, sprawling installations, in which the props and costumes become artistic sculptures and objects. Bock builds tunnels that visitors can only negotiate bent over, or they have to clamber over swinging bridges or rickety stairs. What interests him is chaos, questioning safety and the norm. [read the full text here]
Kunstverein Hamburg
Klosterwall 23
20095 Hamburg
Germany
kunstverein.de
Opening Hours
Tuesday – Sunday and Public Holidays 12h00 – 18h00
Closed on 24, 31 December; 1 January
John Bock, Der Pappenheimer, Installation view at Kunstverein Hamburg, 2013. Courtesy the artist and Kunstverein Hamburg. Photo: Fred Dott.
John Bock, Der Pappenheimer, Installation view at Kunstverein Hamburg, 2013. Courtesy the artist and Kunstverein Hamburg. Photo: Fred Dott.
John Bock, Der Pappenheimer, Installation view at Kunstverein Hamburg, 2013. Courtesy the artist and Kunstverein Hamburg. Photo: Fred Dott.
John Bock, Der Pappenheimer, Installation view at Kunstverein Hamburg, 2013. Courtesy the artist and Kunstverein Hamburg. Photo: Fred Dott.