Christian Lemmerz

Biography

Born in Karlsruhe, Lemmerz studied classical sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy, (1978-82) and at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (1983-88). In 1981, together with Erik A. Frandsen whom he had met in Carrara, he was one of the cofounders of Værkstedet Værst, a collaborative workshop for performance art, often working with Michael Kvium.

Lemmerz' approach can be seen as a rejection of the formal idion in favour of experimentation with material aesthetics, often evoking illness, death or philosophy. Confrontation with the view is important in all the art forms he employs whether sculpture, installation or photography. In parallel, he has increasingly moved into performance, film and video.

In Lemmerz' view, to be effective art has to be confrontational. He finds sculpture a particularly appropriate means of achieving this, especially in relation to the human body. The viewer's visual and tactile senses are alerted, engaging him as an active participant.

Lemmerz has also worked as a scenographer in Steven Berkoff's Brok (1994) and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Petra von Kants bitre tårer (1996). In addition to his experimental performance art, Lemmerz has recently returned to sculpting in marble, completing his Todesfigur in 2012 (Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek).

Awards

Literature