Christoph Schlingensief

Christoph Schlingensief (1960-2010)’s multifaceted oeuvre includes not only films, performances, theatre and opera productions but also audio dramas and books. At the heart of his artistic creativity lay his socio-political argument with Germany, his search for higher knowledge and, in his later work, coming to terms with the cancer from which he died in Berlin in 2010. Schlingensief’s art knew no boundaries and often took place detached from a museum or theatrical environment: so, for example, by founding his party Chance 2000 or staging his action “Please Love Austria!” he explored the subversive and political potential of art. Schlingensief was Professor of Art in Action at the Academy of Fine Arts (HfbK) in Hamburg and was a lecturer at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and the University of Art and Design in Offenbach. His artistic work won numerous awards both during and after his lifetime, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, the Helmut Käutner Prize, the Berlin Bear and the Konrad Wolf Prize.