White Love, 2017

Backlight, pencil and human milk

20 x 40 x 10 cm

Kang Contemporary

LISA GLAUER

Lisa Glauer exhibits LED light panels of multi-layered drawings on paper in various shades of ochre yellow, dark orange, and brown, depicting the technological apparatus of the weapons industry. Her investigative research has led her to the urban border areas of San Diego/Tijuana, where recently, the man-made steel border fence has been built up in order to literally wall off human migration. The increased impermeability, presence of massive industry, and physical density in the area interferes with the natural flow of water. Additionally, these massive industrial and military productions have resulted in heavy damage to the environment and to the regional population. According to research by the Scripps Institute, human breast milk in the San Diego/Tijuana region has been determined to be the most contaminated in the world. The artist chose the contaminated human milk as an art material and applies a burning process to it to express the intersectional global, socio-political, and environmental issues.

 

SELECTED WORKS

Lisa Glauer at Kang Contemporary

In Lisa Glauer’s recently released leparello comic book, Broaching the Next Man Suit Barrier, a cultural “top dog” queries the artist in the story: “. . . are you a social practice artist or a painter?” Glauer’s current show at Kang Contemporary in Berlin answers the question by rejecting the dichotomy altogether. Rather, she insists on experimenting in all directions. Her immediate purpose here seems to be to explore— one might say expose—the patriarchal territory of weaponry, drones and technical installations. To do so, she works with a delicate yet robust medium—human milk (provided by a cadre of donors)—milk that initially hardly manifests on the semi-transparent paper. Only after the drawings have been ironed, we are given to understand, do the ivory lines give way to the almost tender ochre and brown tones, which reveal in turn an array of military hardware and the figures of the self-assured men who seem to be managing it. Layers of these images are then backlit with LEDs in a lightbox, a device that itself can be read as an extension of the technology in the drawings. The drawings map territory, marking borders and depicting technological interventions that can seem threatening. Yet, as I looked longer, the images became more distinguishable, less menacing. The milky lines seemed to soften; standing before one piece, Vorstoss zum oberen Erdmantel, my focus shifted to the figures of men in the foreground, apparent spectators to their own barriers and devices, small and merely human against the sweeping curves and geometric forms of technological icons. In the short film piece, Skyjacking Across Borders with Toy Guns, a helmeted, military clad man holds up his hands in a gesture that could be helpless before the observed event. There is both fierceness and mercy here in the way the artist assembles, renders and transmutes these images.

Glauer shows a range of media for this exhibition: drawings in milk and pencil; comics rendered through wonderfully analog linoleum prints; a neon light piece called monument against patriarchy; a short film; and the installation piece, Landing Strip for the Milky Way. The latter is constituted by a wooden frame supporting two neon-lit layers of translucent paper laid across stepped rungs; the whole piece transects the gallery both vertically and horizontally and becomes a landing strip for milk, poured from above and cascading tranquilly along the gradients of the paper (see video). The performance at the opening was a quiet ritual; the milk ran and slowed, streamed and pooled its way down the incline. I pondered the title that invokes the notion of the heavens as well as images of astronomy. I considered the medium of human milk associated with kindness and nurturance but also highly contaminated, as we learn, in the border region of Tijuana/San Diego, where national boundaries are drawn with military technology. Glauer exposes the hardware of violence, but she is not seduced by it in the process; she does not respect or love it, nor does she hate or even make fun of it. Instead, through her selection of materials and actions, she sets the paraphernalia of aggression into the context of our human condition, summoning material from the intimate act of nursing as well as conjuring the immensity of our surroundings, the vast Milky Way. Thus she makes known the destructive power of that paraphernalia, yet weakens its mystique.

Text by Carolyn Prescott, April 2019

 

CV

  • ACADEMIC and ARTIST POSITIONS 2016/2017

    • artistic research scholar, Senate for Culture and Europe, Berlin (Recherchestipendium)

    • artistic research scholar, GedenkOrt, Charité, Berlin

    • University of the Arts, Berlin, Teaching as Deputy of W. Knapp (Vertretung in der Lehre)Associated grant recipient,  Berlin School of Advanced

    • Studies in Science and Art (Einsteinstiftung, BAS, Graduiertenschule)

    • Part of the university wide: “Internationalization Strategy” – worked on several successful grant applications such as the DAAD grant for Bauhaus Goes South East Europe, DAAD grant Strategic Partnerships etc.

    • Elected representative for mid level academic labor conditions,

    • Appointed to the Examination and Advisory Committee, MFA

    • Appointed PhD Admissions Committee

    2004 – 2009

    • Founder and artistic director www.arttransponder.net - artist run space in Berlin

    2002 - 2003

    • Editor/Translator Raabe Fachverlag für Wissenschaftsinformation, Berlin

    2000 - 2002

    • Director of Marketing - Pratt Institute, School of Art and Design, New York 

    EDUCATION

    2015 

    • PhD in Art and Design (summa cum laude)  Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar Title: Later she will build nuclear warships…Military and Industry Apparatus in Human Milk as Drawing Material   2010-2014 Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar Courses in teaching in higher education, problem oriented learning and diversity/internationalization 

    2002- 2004 

    • M.A. University of the Arts, Berlin / Institute for Art in Context Thesis:  BioArt

    2000 - 2002

    • M.Sci. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn Thesis: Rosemarie Trockel, A Transatlantic Perspective

    1998 - 2000

    • M.F.A. Pratt Institute, Brooklyn - Thesis: Painting as Embodied Subjectivity

    1995-1998 

    • B.F.A.  (magna cum laude) School of Art & Design, SUNY Purchase, New York Thesis: An Essay in Painting Abjection

    GRANTS/ AWARDS

    2017 

    • Artistic Research Grant, Senate for Culture and Europe, Berlin2017 IFA Institute für Auslandsbeziehungen, research grant for travel to the border region, Tijuana/San Diego

    2016 

    • Selected as Associate Member of the Berlin School of Advanced Study in Science and Art, Einstein Foundation, BAS, UDK

    2016/17 

    • Tunnel Below, Skyjack Above: Deconstructing Border - NGBK Grant for research and exhibition project

    2014 

    • University Prize based on recommendation of faculty of Art and Design, based on artistic merit. Awarded to one Bauhaus-Universität artist teaching as associate every two years.

    • DAAD sponsored research at University of California in San Diego

    • Enjoy (Y)our State of Emergency NGBK Grant as part of the group to implement a project focusing on antifascist activism and art in Athens and Berlin

    2013 

    • Resident artist – Experimental Drawing Studio- University of California in San Diego DAAD (German Academic Exchange) funded

    2012 

    • 1 year Grant to complete PhD Research Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar

    2011-2012 

    • Selected for Mentoring Program Women in Science and Art, Bauhaus-University, Weimar

    2009 - 2010 

    • Oszillogramme Fund for Women and Goethe Institute, Budapest

    2008-2009 

    • RE:Positionierung NGBK grant as part of the group Re:/Positioning, Critical Whiteness and Positions of Color

    2007-2008 

    • Jellibelly: Phase 1 Kunsthaus Gravenhorst Grant for the production of the Jellibelly – Bauchpinselmaschinenservice (with Käthe Wenzel)

    2007 

    • Jellibelly: Phase II Kulturamt für dezentrale Kulturförderung, Mitte Project grant, Berlin

    2001 

    • Artists Talk on Art, Manhattan, New York “Curator's Choice Award” 

    PROJECTS (selected)

    SOLO

    2018 

    • Material Talks Back OKK, Berlin

    2017 

    • Plotting for Borderliners, Neuer Ravensburger Kunstverein, Ravensburg 

    2016

    • Domestic Warscapes, Alfa Nova/Futura municipal gallery, Berlin

    2013 

    • Milk as Invisible Ink - San Diego/Tijuana  Experimental Drawing Studio, University of California San Diego 

    2013 

    • Später baut sie Atomschiffe Okk Berlin, in collaboration with the European Society for Research and Art

    2008 

    • Jellibelly Mietfrei Phase 2 - arttransponder, Berlin (with Käthe Wenzel)

    2007 

    • I’ll be Your Paintbrush - Kurt im Hirsch Gallery, Berlin 2004 Mammamil ICH-AG - Neukölln, Berlin 

    2003 

    • Looking for Donors - Kurt im Hirsch, Berlin 

    2002 

    • Beautiful Claustrophobia - Kurt im Hirsch, Berlin 

    GROUP 

    2018 

    • Beating the February Blues, Ballery, Berlin

    2017 

    • White Love, Ballery, Berlin

    • Walking from Frauenklinik to Futurium. In: Close. Never Closer. Curated by Jan Verwoert, BAS/UDK2017 Skyjacking above, Tunneling below – deconstructing Border, ngbk, Berlin 

    • Mirages, Effects, Distractions – Border as Aseptic StageSalon für ästhetische Experiments, BAS, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, with Rajkamal Kahlon and Hillary Mushkin

    • The Woman in Me, Ballery, Berlin

    • Deconstructing Border, Premiere of the films “Fever – An/Amnesia” (Glauer/Wessolek)Präsentation Cine Tonala, Tijuana

    • Bodylandscapingtime, conceptualized, initiated and implemented in collaboration with the Institute for Art in Context, UDK, GedenkOrt.Charité and Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst, Berlin.

    2015 

    • Out of (B)order – conference/workshop, Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar, UCSD

    • NoExit, international exhibition project at OKK, Berlin.

    • Fucked, in Selected, Haus am Horn, Weimar

    2014 

    • Drawing Across Disciplines, initiated transdisciplinary workshop with UCSD, DAAD funded.

    • Enjoy (Y)our State of Emergency, ngbk, Berlin, exhibition and performance.

    2013 

    • AKW (Auktions Kommittee Wedding) - Athens Biennial, curated by Kostis Stafylakis, Christian Oxenius (Robert Huber, Pablo Hermann, Lisa Glauer, with Angeliki Makri as Fortuna/Europa) 

    2012 

    • Nano/Macro/Mega - Department of Structural Engineering University of California in San Diego (UCSD)

    • Public Strategies - Bauhaus University, Weimar, with the Department of Structural Engineering, UCSD

    2011 

    • Beyond Re/Production - Kunsthaus Bethanien – major installation (group)2011 Männerbilder - Galerie Amalien, Berlin (group)

    2010 

    • The Art of Survival  - DA Kunsthaus Gravenhorst (group)2010 Pushing the Elastic Cube - arttransponder (group exhibition project)

    2009 

    • The Chemistry of Traveling Myths - RE/linking/Oscillogrammes - Goethe Institute, 2b gallery, Budapest.Conception, Artists Talk, Exhibition and Performance (group)

    • Hairy Buttons - Evidence und Ambivalence of Men’s Suits Symposium, University Oldenburg - Performance 2009 Metanationale RePositionierung - arttransponder, Berlin (group)

    • RePositionierung. Critical Whitness/Positions of Color. ngbk, series of events.

    2007/2008 

    • Jellibelly, Adjusting our Art to Your Needs Phase 1 -Kunsthaus Gravenhorst, Performances Bern, Berlin etc. 

    2007 

    • I need to be Touched - Notes on Places, Kunsthalle Lichtenberg, Berlin (group)

    • Milky Images – arttransponder (group)

    2006 

    • Missing Link, Schafler Gallery, N.Y. - Initiator and organizer of the exchange with Pratt Institute (group)

    2005 

    • Milk Platform – Missing Link - Museum of Medical History, Berlin (group)

    2004 

    • Fresh’n Natural Mabumamma - Futura Gallery, Prague. Catalogue with texts by Nicolas Bourriaud und Jens Hoffmann

    2003 

    • NeoKölln - Kulturamt Neukölln – Installation.2005 Infomercial - arttransponder, exhibition, film and installation, Berlin

    2004 

    • Reinkommen - Public Intervention, National Gallery, Berlin. (with Tatjana Fell)2004 Four Questions - Werkleitz Biennale, with Bik Van Der Pol, School of the Missing Studies

    2003 

    • Of One Who Stepped Out (of her clothes) Transportale, Berlin (public art, with Mario Rizzi)2001 Artists talk in Art, Denise Bibro Gallery, 4 person show, New York

    PUBLICATIONS

    Erinnern und Vergessen, Bebra VerlagTunnel Below/Skyjacking Above, Serie Border City, Hg. Liz Bachhuber, Margarita Garcia, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, 2018 (in Arbeit)Pleasing Machines, Lisa Glauer und Helge Oder, in: Half Life, Hg. Käthe Wenzel und Manfred Blohm, Europa Universität, Flensburg, fabrico Verlag, Hannover, 2018 (in Arbeit)Skyjacking Across Borders with Toy Guns, Katalog/Zeitung zum Ausstellungsprojekt Tunnel Below, Skyjack Above, Deconstructing Border. Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst, Berlin, 2017.„...Später baut sie Atomschiffe.“ Dissertationsschrift. Mensch und Buchverlag, 2017.Bodylandscapingtime. Kuratorischer Text, ngbk Zeitung, in Zusammenarbeit mit Institut für Kunst im Kontext und GedenkOrt.Charité, 2017.Domestic Warscapes. Katalog, mit Beitrag von Kathrin Ganser. Alphanova - Galerie Futura, Berlin, 2016.Ausgewahlt. Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar, 2016. Invisibilities at the Edges In: Border City. Documentation of an interdisciplinary project in San Diego (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico). Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar, 2015. Parameters of Teaching the artist as Global Nomad. In: What I can not know about you,. Bauhaus- Universität Weimar/DAAD, 2015 Process. Not Solution. Text on Democracy, Memorials and Public Art in Kolleda, Thüringia.  Garbage Talk or Talking Garbage: Refuse, Location and the Body in Art. In: Entrop(h)y. Hg. Bachhuber, Bidlingmaier. Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar, 2012. Mammamil In: Beyond Reproduction. Revolver Verlag, Berlin, 2011. Mit Texten von Silvia Federici, Gabriele Winkler et al. 2011 Citymap With Danica Dakic, Nadin Reschke. Bauhaus-Universität, Weimar, 2010. Pushing the Elastic Cube – Mobile by Circumstance. Arttransponder.net, 2010 Hairy Buttons. In: Kunst und Leben, Partizipatorische Kunst zwischen Autonomie und Intervention. DA Kunsthaus Gravenhorst, 2010 Geschlecht- spezifische (Neu)zuschreibungen an Frauenmilch in der Kunst. In: Barbara Thiessen, Paula Irene Villa: Mediale Inszenierung von Elternschaft, Hg. Thiessen, Villa, Dampfbootverlag, Hannover, 2009. (Un)mediated Reactions In: Lisa Glauer, Käthe Wenzel, Tatjana Fell (Hg.): Gratwanderungen zwischen Kunst und Naturwissenschaften.. UDK Verlag, Berlin, 2008. Fell und Lundström lassen Andere durch den Raum Tentakeln. In: Tatjana Fell und Nina Lundström (Hg.):Auf dem Boden der Zeit. Mensch und Buch Verlag, Berlin 2008. Adjusting our Art to your Needs. In: Käthe Wenzel und Lisa Glauer (Hg.): Jellibelly – Bauchpinselmaschinenservice, Berlin 2008. With the Door into the House: Naturally Authentic. In: Tatjana Fell, Lisa Glauer, Anna Zosik (Hg.): Postproduction Dialog. Berlin, 2005. Mabumanna. In: Wolfgang Knapp, Käthe Wenzel, Cornelius Frömmel (Hg.): MISSING LINK – Kunst trifft Biomedizin. UdK Verlag Berlin 2005. Mabumamma. In: PLUG IN – curated by Mario Rizzi, text by Eva Neklyaeva, includes an introduction by Nicolas Bourriaud. Fine Arts Unternehmen, Zug, 2004 The Missing Corner. In: Eva Sturm (Hg.): Wo kommen wir da Hin? Berlin 2005.PUBLIC TALKS2018 What art can do when the powers that be resist change? with Kersten Ergenzinger, Marco Donnarumma, Bnaya Halperin-Khadderi, Zeynep Tuna and Nino Klingler, Darsha Hewitt, Clarissa Thieme, Kiran Kumar, moderated by Jan Verwoert. Haus der Kulturen der Welt.2018 Material Resists Concept, Painting Beyond Futurium, Trondheim Academy of Art, trial lecture for Associate Professorship in Painting and Beyond2018 Teaching with Two Bodies, shared with Rajkamal Kahlon, Berufungsvortrag W2 Professur for Basisklasse, Kunsthochschule Kassel2017 Shapeshifting between Medicine and Art. In: Herbsttagung, Wissenschaft in Verantwortung. GedenkOrt.Charité, Berlin2017 Mirages, Effects, Distractions. Salon für ästhetische Experimente,  Haus der Kulturen der Welt2017 artist talk, Neuer Ravensburger Kunstverein, Ravensburg2017 Präsentation Deconstructing Border, mit POLEN collective, Cine Tonala, Tijuana2016 Erinnerungsweg GedenkOrt.Charité, Berlin2016 How to Throw the Grenade, Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin2016 Kunst im öffentlichen Raum, Ringvorlesung Wissenschaft in Verantwortung, Charité, Berlin2016 Artist Talk, alpha nova/futura kommunale Galerie, Berlin2015 Argumente, kuratiert von Inez Weitzmann, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, mit Ricardo Dominguez, University of California in San Diego2014 Performative artist talk, EMBROS, mit Kostis Stafylakis, Athens2013 Performative artist talk, Experimental Drawing Studio2012 "...later, she will build nuclear vessels." Nano/Macro/Mega Workshop Department of Structural Engineering, University of California, San Diego, California, moderated by Benjamin Bratton2011 Indistinguishability as Exhibition Strategy. Public Strategies, Art and Technology, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar/UCSD Research Projects between Art, Science and Technology2011 Garbage Talk or Talking Garbage; Refuse, Location and the Body in Art. Entrop(p)y.Symposium, Bauhaus-Universität. Weimar2010 Milky Images, Presentation on Research into the Abject and Materiality. Paneldiskussion zum Grotesken, mit Winfried Menninghaus, Nanako Nakajima2009  Hairy Buttons als behaarte Accessoires; Männlichkeit als modische Prothese.with Käthe Wenzel. Symposium: Evidenz und Ambivalenz des Herrenanzuges. Institut für kulturwissenschaftliche Geschlechterstudien, Oldenburg2009 The Chemistry of Travelling Myths Symposium: Oscillogrammes. Goethe Institut Budapest2009 The Inbetween artists talk - Monday Night Lecture, ACC Weimar2007 International Conference: Mütter – Väter, Elternschaft zwischen medialen Inszenierungen und alltäglichen Praxen. Paula Irene Villa and Barbara Thiessen, Leibniz Universität Hannover