Hans Haacke was born in 1936 in Cologne and has lived and worked in New York since 1965, where he last taught as a professor at the renowned Cooper Union university. He pioneered the modern concept of ‚artivism‘ as a political strategy for conceptual artists. Artivism, in his vision, involves merging performative art with active political engagement.
Left: Blue Sail, 1964-1965, Right: Circulation, 1969
His goal is to use artistic, unexpected concepts to emotionally and intellectually engage people, shedding light on perceived injustices. In doing so, he consistently merges his multimedia artistic practice with critical investigative work spanning art, economics, politics, and society. Over time the artist developed his critical view of art as an institution and system, but his early works focus on art in the sense of process and physical system. Since the 1960s, Haacke has aimed to exemplify physical, biological, or societal processes in his work, elucidating the underlying structures.
News, 1969-2008
The Condensation Cubes that he created in the early days of his career exemplify his interest in such basic phenomena, in this case evaporation and condensation. The work consists of transparent acrylic cubes containing water which due to the temperature differential between the inside and outside condenses into droplets that run down the walls of the cube and take on random forms.
Left: Condensation Cube, 1963-1965, Right: Hommage à Marcel Broodthaers, 1982
While his work shares traits with Land Art and Minimalism, it maintains a sharper political edge, using symbolic processes and materials to challenge gallery dynamics and make direct political statements. With his unique approach, he has inspired artists such as Andrea Fraser, Fred Wilson, Carissa Rodriguez and Olafur Eliasson, who explore similar themes within their distinct artistic forms.
Der Bevölkerung, 2000
Haacke‘s tenure as a professor and prolific writing established him as a gold standard for remaining independent in the art world, guiding free-thinking students for decades, showcasing his profound impact and lasting legacy.