Lisa Kohl engages with the poetic notion of non-places and transitional spaces, such as no man’s lands and border zones, while focusing on human life and survival. Existential questions accompany her artistic research on a metaphorical level, revolving around themes of visibility and invisibility, presence and absence, location and placelessness. Through the poetic aesthetic of the image, she invites us to reflect on identity, transcending borders, hope and futility. Her current practice focuses on photographic series, sculptural installations and video-sound performances that oscillate between documentation and staging. Image, sound and material-related elements create images and spaces of association based on real contexts and personal statements, opening up atmospheric and experiential spaces in which the supremacy of reality is questioned in a poetic and sensitive way.
The artist was born in 1988 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg City. She lives and works between Luxembourg and Germany. 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 photographic work has been recognized by several awards: winner of Robert Schuman Art Award (2023), nomination for the Edward Steichen Award (2022) ; StART-up Studio Award by Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte Foundation (2020-2021); winner of Pierre Werner Award (2020). In 2022, Kohl was selected for a six-month residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin (DE), subsidized by Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg (LU). In 2021, she received the grant CNA – Aid for Creation and Dissemination in Photography, by Centre national de l'audiovisuel (LU). In 2020-2021, her project ERRE was chosen by the jury of Lët’z Arles asbl to be part of the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles edition 2021 (F). In 2018-2019 she was a scholarship holder at the Artists‘ Residency Villa Aurora in Los Angeles (USA) through the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation (DE).
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
Soloshow, curated by director of art Janina Saile-Mattli, Clinique La Prairie, Montreux (CHE)
True Fiction, curated by Paul di Felice & Claire di Felice, Café crème asbl, Arendt House, Luxembourg (LU)
DIS-PLACED, curated by Charlotte Masse, Konschthal Esch – Contemporary Art Space, Esch-sur-Alzette (LU)
2023
Ripensare l'identità, EMOP, Oculus Photography Festival, 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 and Cultural Mission of LUX 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, Trier (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, Chapelle (LU)
ERRE, curated by Danielle Igniti, Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles, 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
Artist residency, Squatfabrik, Kulturfabrik – cultural centre, Esch-sur-Alzette (LU)
2023
Winner of Robert Schuman Art Award 2023, Quattropole, Trier (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 of Edward Steichen Award, CNA – Centre national de l‘audiovisuel (LU)
Nomination of 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
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)