Thomas Kilpper
Hessische Kulturstiftung Residency
1999/2000
Thomas Kilpper is a German artist. He lives and works in Berlin, where he has run the exhibition space ‘after the butcher’ since 2006. Thomas’s work engages with history and politics in a manner that recalls the 1960s in terms of his committed engagement. Typically, Thomas takes over a building and investigates its history, carving into the floor to make woodcuts which he then prints large scale onto fabric. In The Ring, a project he made in London in 2000 (and of which the Tate bought a substantial part) he investigated the history of the area in which the building of the Tate was situated — making images connected with boxing (the site had previously housed a boxing ring), the Ministry of Defense (which had a secret printing press in the building) and the new Tate Modern. His strategy is to work with buildings condemned for demolition and to use only materials he finds on site to make art. In that respect his work engages with the art of Gordon Matta-Clark but by inscribing himself into the building, rather than simply cutting it up, he puts forward a different point of view.
Solo projects include: Drowning Hercules, London (2001); He, who has the money, has the power!, Frankfurter Sparkasse (2002); Ulrike Meinhof, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin (2004); PIGISBACK, Pump House Gallery, London (2006); State of Control, Stasimuseum Berlin (2009); Anemonevej Surprises, Tumult Festival, Nakskov (2010); SPEECH MATTERS, Pavilion for Revolutionary Free Speech, Danish Pavilion, 54th Venice Biennale (2011) and Venetian Prints, dispari&dispari project (2012). Group shows include Independence, the South London gallery (2003); Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art, Moss (2006); iABr – the 4th international Architecture Biennial, Rotterdam (2009); Philagrafika – The Graphic Unconscious, Temple University, Philadelphia and Encuentro de Medellín MDE11 (2011).
Hessische Kulturstiftung, Germany
Acme has managed a residency programme on behalf of Hessische Kulturstiftung since 1995, located on Lyal Road, Bow, E3. Residencies are awarded to artists for a period of 12 months, and the size of the accommodation enables the artist to bring their family or dependents for the length of residency. Based in a residential area populated by many artists, the house is well situated for access to other arts spaces and central London. Residencies are open to all artists from Germany. Applications and selection are dealt with directly by Hessische Kulturstiftung.
For more information visit hkst.de
