Volker Via Lewandowsky (born 7 March 1963 in Dresden, Germany) is a German contemporary artist whose practice encompasses installation, sculpture, object art, photography, performance, painting, and drawing. His work frequently engages themes of memory, communication failure, and the deconstruction of meaning, often employing humor, satire, and paradox.
Early life and education
Lewandowsky studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden) from 1982 to 1987. During his student years, beginning in 1985, he collaborated with the avant‑garde collective Autoperforationsartisten, organizing subversive performances that challenged the official art institutions of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Career
In 1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Lewandowsky left the GDR and moved to West Berlin. He subsequently spent extended periods in New York, Rome, Beijing, and Canada, before establishing his base in Berlin.
His artistic output is characterised by a multidisciplinary approach. Notable aspects of his practice include:
- Installation and sculpture – Works such as Gehirn und Denken: Kosmos im Kopf (2000) at the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden and the public‑space sculpture From Behind (Doggy Style) (2006) in St. Louis, Missouri, illustrate his interest in architectural forms and everyday objects recontextualised to provoke reflection.
- Performance and sound art – From the 1990s onward, sound elements became integral to his performances, underscoring the communicative breakdown he explores conceptually.
- Public interventions – Lewandowsky’s projects often address historical and political memory. In 2009, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Monday demonstrations in East Germany, he staged a confetti parade in Leipzig using miniature business cards reproducing the code names of former Stasi informants. The same year he installed the Democracy Bell at Augustusplatz in Leipzig.
Artistic themes and style
Lewandowsky’s oeuvre emphasizes process over finality, frequently presenting ideas as ongoing constructions rather than completed statements. His works juxtapose controlled, staged elements with spontaneous, unexpected occurrences, creating a tension between the humorous and the unsettling. The artist draws on influences from Dada, Surrealism, and Fluxus, employing everyday detritus—such as cuckoo clocks, garden sheds, and bureaucratic paraphernalia—to critique cultural and national identity constructions.
Awards and fellowships
- 1991 – New York Fellowship of the Berlin Senate Administration at P.S. 1 (now MoMA PS 1)
- 1994 – Fellowship at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
- 1995 – Art Award, Leipziger Volkszeitung
- 1997 – Grant from the Stiftung Kunstfonds, Bonn
- 1998 – Botho Graef Award, City of Jena
- 2005 – Working Grant, Beijing Case, Peking
- 2008 – Fellowship at Villa Aurora, Los Angeles
- 2011 – Fellowship at Villa Massimo, Rome
Selected exhibitions and collections
Lewandowsky’s work has been shown internationally, including at documenta IX (Kassel, 1992), and is held in public collections such as the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (St. Louis, Missouri). His installations have been featured in institutions like the Jewish Museum Berlin and the German Hygiene Museum.
References
Information compiled from publicly available biographical sources, exhibition catalogues, and the artist’s own website.