Veit Stratmann (born 1960) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

ist, currently living in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The work of Veit Stratmann has been developed since the early 1990s, influenced by artists of the neo-avant-garde of the 1970s, like Michael Asher. One of the characteristics of many of his works is the focus on the intervention on the location and the deliberate choice of a form of lower-aesthetic value. His work revolves around questioning: can an artistic gesture be based on the notions of choice and decision-making – the postures of those who encounter the work? Can this decision-making and the infinite suspension of time involved in doing so become constructive material(Morgan Marlet describes this in her MA thesis on Veit Stratmann's work in the urban space as “suspending space to suspend time”). If political action originates in the act of decision making, can an encounter with art generate a permanent oscillation between political and artistic gestures? Can an artistic gesture undo the coherence of a space without affecting its physical integrity? Or create a “parenthesis” or construct a loophole in its meaning in order to create the blurring of status? Can this become creative matter? Can an artist's work be a deflector? Can art be the departure point of observation rather than that which is observed? Stratmann's work is often done in and for public space. The presence of an object in public space does not necessarily confer a particular status to that given object. The encounter with an object in public space does not impose any particular status or behavioural code upon the public. Both the viewer and the work viewed define the nature and the quality of this encounter. Public space thus presents an ideal place for posing questions - and a way of transforming its fragile status into creative material. Veit Stratmann's personal history is also at the root of his work in public space and it has undoubtedly conditioned the social issues that underline his line of questioning. Born in Germany, he moved to France in 1981. This displacement of his personal “territory” and focal point from a general sense of “belonging” (in Germany) to an acute awareness of “not belonging” (in France) reoriented his perception of space, territory, separation and belonging. He began to explore the possibilities of influencing his space without actually modifying it. Becoming aware of the limits of his space brought about questioning: how can the limits be made permeable? How can the interstices be used? How can these territories be adjusted, modified, transformed? The range of Veit Stratmann's artistic preoccupations is anchored in this socio-cultural and spatial questioning. Yet his line of questioning enters the sphere of “art” only when there is exchange with others – as many others as possible. This naturally pulls his artistic action towards the « polis » – public space (not the political space but the space of politics). This is where decision and choice-making, negotiation, stance-taking, limitations and borders take form and make sense.

Artwork highlights

Exhibitions

*2021: LUMIAR CITÉ
Lumiar Cité
Lisbon, Portugal *2019: MODULE-ESSEN, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany *2008: Veit Stratmann, Centre d'art et de Diffusin Clark,

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

, Canada *2008: Fuson-confusion, Museum Folkwang,

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

, Germany *2007: "A porto" museu

Serralves Serralves is a cultural institution located in Porto, Portugal. It includes a Contemporary Art Museum, a Park, and a Villa, each one an example of contemporary architecture, Modernism, and Art Deco architecture. The Museum, designed by Álvaro S ...

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, Portugal *2006: ''La Force de l'art'', Le Grand Palais,

aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

France *2005: ''Für den Alten Garten'', Staatliches Museum,

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch dialect, Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germany, second-largest city of the northeastern States of Germany, German ...

, Germany. *2004: A angles vifs, CAPC-Musée d'Art contemporain de Bordeaux,

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

, France *2004: École des Beaux-Arts de

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

, France. *2002: ''Das Element für die Strasse'', neues Model, Badischer Kunstverein,

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, Germany. *2001: Squaters, Museu

, Portugal, and Witte de With,

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium *2001: ''Veit Stratmann'' Musée des Moulages, Université Lumière,

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, France. *1997: ''The element for the city'' The Nevada state Museum of Arts,

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

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, USA.

External links

* "Expositions/Reviews", in Art Press n°310/mars 2005 * Michel Gauthier, "Les Intransitifs (sur quelques pièces de Veit Stratmann)" in Art Présence n° 40 - octobre - novembre - décembre 2001 German artists Living people 1960 births {{Germany-artist-stub