John Bock
John Bock’s (*1965 in Gribbohm, Schleswig-Holstein, lives and works in Berlin) multimedia work is rooted in the traditions of Dadaism, Joseph Beuys, and Fluxus and is based on a continual liberation of the concept of the work of art. For example, Bock combines live actions, sculptures, installations and film projections in overwhelming spatial arrangements and creates works from found objects or everyday materials. His oeuvre is also built on a humorous approach to language and is characterized by word creations, onomatopoeia, and surprising combinations. Informed by his childhood on a farm, Bock shows an affinity for agricultural terms and objects that are also reflected in the artist’s works. The initial idea for the edition for Neuer Berliner Kunstverein is a seemingly martial tool from cattle breeding – a calf puller which, together with other elements, is arranged by Bock in a collage of associative visual worlds. Since 2004, John Bock has taught sculpture at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe.
His works have been most recently shown at Marta Herford (2017); Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (2016; 2013; 1999); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2015); Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn (2013); Städel Museum, Frankfurt/Main (2012); Venice Biennale (2013; 2005; 2003; 1999); New Museum, New York (2010; 2007); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2009; 2006); Documenta, Kassel (2002).