The artistic work of Lisa Kohl focuses on the poetic notion of non-places and transitional spaces, emphasizing the human dimension. Her current practice encompasses field research, documentation, staging, and visual poetry. It reflects on the territories traversed through encounters with those affected. Navigating a delicate line between the visible and the invisible, presence and absence, place and non-place reveals a play of shadows and wandering. Fragments of landscapes and human traces are put into tension and relation, raising questions about territory and its wounds. It is the experience in the field that invites exploration of an intimate geography. Her intention is to interrogate its boundaries by evoking imaginary spaces filled with sensitivity, yearning, and lived experiences. The fundamental question lies in how the medium of image is handled as a means of representation and the responsibility it entails regarding ethical questions. The poetic aesthetics of the image are imbued with these notions and invite reflection on identity, hope, and futility. Grounded in specific contexts, these interventions resonate with our collective memory.
As a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels – La Cambre, Brussels (BE), Lisa Kohl has developed an artistic practice which takes on various shapes : photographic series, sculptural installations, video and sound performances. Her work has been showcased multiple times in group exhibitions across Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal. In 2021, her project ERRE was featured at the Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles in France. In 2023, the Reuter Bausch art gallery in Luxembourg held her first solo exhibition. That same year, her work received the Robert Schuman Art Prize. Additionally, the artist has received invitations for artist residencies, including at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles in 2018 and at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin in 2022. In 2024, her work was part of the exhibtion DIS-PLACED at Konschthal – contemporary art space, Luxembourg. In 2024-2025, Kohl will present a solo exhibition at Clinique La Prairie in Montreux, Switzerland. The artist has recently been nominated for the Prix Pictet 2025. Lisa Kohl currently divides her professional life between Luxembourg and Germany.
https://www.konschthal.lu/en/exhibitions/dis-placed
https://www.monopol-magazin.de/lisa-kohl-bekommt-kunstpreis-robert-schuman
https://shop.art-magazin.de/de_DE/einzelhefte/einzelausgaben/art-03-2023/2111427.html
https://www.bethanien.de/artists/lisa-kohl
https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en/expositions/view/1007/daniel-reuter-lisa-kohl
https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en/artistes/view/787/lisa-kohl
https://www.vatmh.org/en/grant-recipient-details/grant/424-lisa-kohl.html
https://pointcontemporain.com/portrait-artiste-lisa-kohl/
https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/arles-2021-letz-arles-lisa-kohl-erre-dv/
https://letzarles.lu/edition-2021
https://www.konschthal.lu/en/exhibitions/letz-arles
https://cna.public.lu/fr/events/2021/letzarles2021.html
https://www.land.lu/page/article/119/338119/DEU/index.html
https://www.culture.lu/blog/articles/le-fabuleux-destin-de/le-fabuleux-destin-de-lisa-kohl
https://reportage.mdr.de/nachste-generation-lisa-kohl#12135
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024
DIS-PLACED, curated by Charlotte Masse & Christian Mosar, Konschthal Esch – Contemporary Art Space, Esch (LU)
True Fiction, curated by Paul di Felice & Claire di Felice, Café crème asbl, Arendt House, Luxembourg (LU)
Soloshow, curated by director of art Janina Saile-Mattli, Clinique La Prairie, Montreux (CHE)
Luxembourg Art Week, represented by Reuter Bausch Art Gallery, Luxembourg (LU)
2023
Ripensare l'identità, EMOP, Oculus Photography Festival, curated by Claire Baldo & Paul di Felice, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice (IT)
Ripensare il paesaggio, EMOP, Oculus Photography Festival, Bugno Art Gallery, Venice (IT)
Luxembourg Art Week, represented by Reuter Bausch Art Gallery, Luxembourg (LU)
Bienvenue à la Villa - Collection 2023, Villa Vauban, Luxembourg (LU)
OVNi Festival, cosmopolis: collaboration between Casino – Contemporary Art Forum & Cultural Mission of Luxembourg in Paris, Nice (FR)
Soloshow IN ABSENCE, Reuter Bausch Art Gallery, Luxembourg (LU)
Robert Schuman Art Award, nomination by the curator Sandra Schwender, Stadtmuseum Simeonstift, Treves (DE)
RETHINKING IDENTITY, EMOP | European Month of Photography, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg (LU)
2022
BLINDSPOT, grantee show, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (DE), subsidized by Kultur | lx (LU)
Exit Exil – Walk and Talk, App, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., Berlin (DE), Los Angeles (USA)
Disturbances, Imago Lisboa Photography Festival, Lisbon (P)
Focus Visual Arts Luxembourg, Casino, selected by the curator Margot Delalande, 49 Nord 6 Est - Frac Lorraine (F), supported by Kultur | lx, Arts Council Luxembourg (LU)
2021
Révélation(s) Preview, Casino – Contemporary Art Forum, Luxembourg (LU)
LAND(E)SCAPE, curated by Danielle Igniti, EMOP | European Month of Photography, Abbaye de Neumünster (LU)
ERRE, Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles, curated by Danielle Igniti, Lët‘z Arles, Chapelle de la Charité, Arles (F)
PASSAGE, Exhibition panel, Partnership between Les Rencontres d’Arles and SNCF, Gare de Lyon, Paris (F)
ERRE, curated by Danielle Igniti, Konschthal Esch – Contemporary Art Space, Esch-sur-Alzette (LU)
Winners of the Pierre Werner Award 2020, Gallery Schlassgoart, Esch-sur-Alzette (LU)
2020
Salon du CAL, Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg - asbl, Tramsschapp, Luxembourg (LU)
CUEVA, Bâtiment 4, Esch-sur-Alzette (LU)
2019
Villanacht 2019, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., Komische Oper, Berlin (DE)
EXIT, Video-Sound-Performance, Rotondes, Luxembourg (LU)
Teilchenbeschleuniger, Halle 14, Baumwollspinnerei, Leipzig (DE)
Die Zeiten ver-gehen, scholarship holders exhibition, Art Foundation Saxony-Anhalt (DE)
The Place, It Has a Name, project FREIRAUM with Elsa Rauchs and Ian De Toffoli, Goethe and Pierre Werner
Institution, Theatre of Kasemattes, Luxembourg (LU)
2018
Work presentation with artist talk, OPENHOUSE, ZK/U, Berlin (DE)
The Place, It Has a Name, project FREIRAUM, Drugo more, Rijeka (HRV)
OPEN BORDERS, European cultural days 2018, BBK, Karlsruhe (DE)
Parcours 2018, Diplome der Kunst, Art Foundation Saxony-Anhalt (DE)
2017
SURD, Gallery Halka Sanat, Istanbul (T)
AWARDS | GRANTS | RESIDENCIES
2024
Nomination for Prix Pictet 2025, by Marion Vergin and Anastasia Chaguidouline, Cercle Cité, Luxembourg (LU)
Artist residency, Squatfabrik, Kulturfabrik – cultural centre in sinergy with Bridderhaus - artist residency, Esch (LU)
2023
Winner of Robert Schuman Art Award 2023, Quattropole, Treves (DE)
selected by a jury composed of: Nathalie Filser, Marlène Kreins, Dr Gabriele Lohberg, Dr Berrnd Mohnhaupt, Chiara Parisi, Simon Santschi, Leo Scheidt, Fanny Weinquin
2022
Artist residency of 6 months, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (DE)
selected by a jury composed of : Claudine Hemmer, Clément Minighetti, Mike Bourscheid
subsidized by Kultur | lx, Arts Council Luxembourg (LU)
Grant NEUSTART KULTUR, Foundation Kunstfonds Bonn (DE)
Nomination for Edward Steichen Award, CNA – Centre national de l‘audiovisuel (LU)
Nomination for Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Stipendium, Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (DE)
2021
Les Rencontres de la Photographie d‘Arles, Lët‘z Arles, selected by the jury composed of :
Paul Di Felice, Marta Gili, Danielle Igniti, Steph Meyers, Sam Stourdzé, Michèle Walerich, Christoph Wiesner
Grant CNA – Aide à la création et diffusion en photographie 2021, Centre national de l‘audiovisuel (LU)
Grant NEUSTART KULTUR, Kunstfonds Foundation, Bonn (DE)
2020
2019
2018
Artist Residency, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., Los Angeles (USA), kindly subsidized by Art Foundation
Saxony-Anhalt (DE)
2017
Studio Scholarship Apartmani, Istanbul (T), kindly subsidized by Burg Giebichenstein – University of Art and Design (DE)
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
IFA – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Stuttgart / Berlin (DE)
Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House, Berlin (DE) / Los Angeles (USA)
MNHA – National museum for archeology, history and art, Luxembourg city (LU)
Ministery of Culture, Luxembourg city (LU)
CNA – Centre national de l'audiovisuel, Dudelange (LU)
Villa Vauban, Luxembourg city (LU)
PUBLICATIONS | CATALOGUES
2023
Artmagazine ART, Edition 03/2023, article by Gunnar Lützow, Hamburg (DE)
Magazine BE 30#, article by Christoph Tannert, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (DE)
Magazine Monopol, Robert Schuman Art Award, dpa, Berlin (DE)
2022
Catalogue Disturbances, edited and published by Imago Lisboa Photography Festival, Lisbon (P)
2021
2020
Artist book ERRE, edition of 600 copies and a special edition of 150 copies with a print of SHELTER – No 2 of the series, published by Lët‘z Arles and Centre national de l‘audiovisuel (LU)
PROJECTS IN COLLABORATION
2024-2025
Scenography for Biergerbühn, by Elsa Rauchs and Claire Wagener, ILL production
Grand Théâtre and Kulturfabrik (LU)
2020-2022
Scenography for Amer Amer, by Jérôme Michez and Elsa Rauchs, Theater of Esch, Esch-sur-Alzette (LU)
2019
Visuals for Footnotes, by Claire Thill and Jenny Beacraft, ILL production
Theater of Esch, TNL, Abbaye Neumünster, Luxembourg (LU)
2018
Performance Project The Place, It Has a Name with Elsa Rauchs and Ian De Toffili, Rijeka (HVR)
Luxembourg (LU)
2017
Short movie FAITH, collaboration with Filmmaker Rahim Unlu, Istanbul (T)