Thomas Hirschhorn, Preparatory sketch for “Abschlag”, 2013. Courtesy the artist.
© Thomas Hirschhorn, Preparatory sketch for “Abschlag” c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2014
Born 1957 in Bern, Switzerland
Lives and works in Paris, France
Thomas Hirschhorn studied art in Zurich, Switzerland (1978–1983). He is known for large works that transform the conventional exhibition spaces of modern art into all-encompassing environments addressing issues of “justice and injustice, power and powerlessness, and moral responsibility.” His recent exhibitions include shows at the Institute of Modern Art Brisbane, Australia and Dia Art Foundation, New York (2013); the Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (2011); the Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, and the Vienna Secession (2008); and the Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montréal, Canada (2007). Additionally, he took part in the fifty-fifth Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, PA, USA (2008) and Documenta 11 (2002). Hirschhorn participated in the ninth Shanghai Biennale (2012) with Sophie Calle and represented Switzerland at the fifty-fourth Venice Biennale (2011). Hirschhorn has been awarded the Marcel Duchamp Prize (2000) and the Joseph Beuys Prize (2004).