Artist, Sculptor, and Founder of Atelier Van Lieshout
Joep van Lieshout (b. 1963, Ravenstein, Netherlands) is a Dutch artist and sculptor renowned for his provocative works that blur the boundaries between art, architecture, and design. At the age of 16, he was accepted into the Academy of Modern Art in Rotterdam, later continuing his studies at Ateliers ’63 in Haarlem and the Villa Arson in Nice, France. In 1995, he founded Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL) in Rotterdam, a multidisciplinary studio that challenges the myth of the solitary artistic genius by emphasizing collective creativity. Van Lieshout’s work often explores themes of self-sufficiency, power structures, and the human condition, frequently incorporating elements of utopia and dystopia. Notable projects include “AVL-Ville,” a self-declared free state in Rotterdam’s harbor, and “SlaveCity,” a dystopian city model critiquing capitalist systems.
