MARCO

(Bern, Switzerland, 1957; lives and works in Paris, France)

Thomas Hirschhorn is the most veteran artist and of major international scope of among those who integrate this exhibition. He studied art at Schule für Gestaltung, Zurich, and in the 1980s he worked in Paris as a graphic artist. He was part of the group of graphic designers called Grapus, with a great concern with politics and culture, displaying impromptu creations and posters on the street mostly using the language of advertisement. He left Grapus to create the installations he is known for today, often site-specific. Hirschhorn's works are conceived with regard to the space which they are devoted to, either the museum, the street or a specific place. References to fashion, art, politics and philosophy entwine in his work, but above all, his ephemeral homages to his favourite artists and writers of the 20th century, as those devoted to Spinoza (Amsterdam, 1999), Deleuze (Avignon, 2000) or Bataille (Kassel, 2002). His works have been exhibited in centres all around the world - Kunsthalle Bern (1998), Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2001), MACBA, Barcelona (2001) or The Chicago Art Institute (2000). He has been awarded with Marcel Duchamp Prize and Joseph Beuys Prize in 2000-2001 and 2004, respectively. His works are part of collections such as the Museum of Modern Art's, New York, the Walker Art Center's, Minneapolis, and the Tate Modern's, London.