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| Jörg Heiser | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jörg Heiser |
| Birth date | 1968 |
| Birth place | Essen, West Germany |
| Occupation | Art critic, curator, writer |
| Nationality | German |
Jörg Heiser is a German art critic, curator, and writer known for his contributions to contemporary art discourse, exhibition-making, and critical theory. He has been active in European and international art circles, collaborating with museums, galleries, biennials, and academic institutions. His work engages with practices of painting, film, installation, and the politics of representation.
Heiser was born in Essen, West Germany, in 1968 and grew up during the late Cold War and reunification period, a context shared by contemporaries such as Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, and Wolfgang Tillmans. He completed studies in art history and philosophy in Germany and abroad, engaging with institutions like the University of Cologne, the University of Heidelberg, the Humboldt University of Berlin, and cultural sites such as the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, the Städel Museum, and the Hamburger Bahnhof. His formative encounters included exhibitions at the Documenta and travels to centers like Paris, London, New York City, and Berlin.
Heiser began writing and curating in the 1990s, contributing to leading European art publications and collaborating with museums including the Stedelijk Museum}}, Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, and regional institutions such as the Kunstverein Hannover and Frankfurter Kunstverein. He served as editor and columnist for magazines and periodicals similar to Artforum, Frieze, ArtReview, Texte zur Kunst, and Monopol, while also participating in academic programs at the Royal College of Art, the Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Pratt Institute. His curatorial and critical practice intersected with biennials such as the Venice Biennale, the Biennale di Venezia, the Istanbul Biennial, and the Gwangju Biennale.
Heiser curated and co-curated exhibitions that positioned artists in dialogues with painting, film, and installation, arranging projects with figures like Carsten Höller, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Isa Genzken, Michael Krebber, and Tauba Auerbach. His exhibitions have been mounted at venues such as the Kunsthalle Zurich, Galerie Buchholz, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, and the Serpentine Galleries. He participated in group shows that included works by Marcel Broodthaers, Imi Knoebel, Rosemarie Trockel, Ad Reinhardt, and Kazimir Malevich, often framing historical lineages alongside emerging practices.
As a critic and essayist Heiser has written extensively on contemporary painting, film, and the institutional conditions of art, publishing monographs and catalogue essays alongside reviews in outlets akin to The New York Times, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Le Monde, and The Guardian. His texts have addressed artists such as Gerhard Richter, Martin Kippenberger, Andreas Gursky, David Hammons, and Cindy Sherman, and engaged with theoretical frameworks from thinkers like Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Rancière, Walter Benjamin, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. He contributed to exhibition catalogues for retrospectives at institutions including the Museum Ludwig, the Nationalgalerie, and the Guggenheim Museum.
Heiser’s curatorial projects often explored relations between painting and other media, collaborating with curators and institutions such as Okwui Enwezor, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Christine Macel, Nicholas Serota, and Carlos Basualdo. He organized thematic shows addressing post-war and contemporary trajectories that referenced movements and events like Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Fluxus, Neue Wilde, and historical exhibitions such as When Attitudes Become Form and Live in Your Head: When Attitudes Become Form. His work engaged with archival practices at sites like the British Council, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the Getty Research Institute.
Heiser has received grants, fellowships, and residency support from cultural foundations and programs such as the German Academic Exchange Service, the Kunststiftung NRW, the Villa Massimo, the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program, and European arts funding bodies linked to the European Cultural Foundation. His writing and curatorial projects have been recognized by peers across institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, and national academies such as the Akademie der Künste.
Heiser’s interests draw on a broad cultural matrix encompassing European painting traditions, American contemporary art scenes, and global biennial networks, influenced by figures like Wolfram Siebeck, Roselee Goldberg, Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Hal Foster, and Claire Bishop. He continues to live and work between major cultural centers including Berlin, Amsterdam, and London, maintaining collaborations with galleries such as White Cube, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Karin Günther Gallery, and academic programs at institutions like the University of the Arts London.
Category:German art critics Category:German curators Category:1968 births