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.
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