Erik van Lieshout

Facing the abyss of quarantine, along with increasing cancellations of projects and shows, Van Lieshout kept following the course of cruise ships - a sudden focal point of the corona crisis. Prompted by the fate of the Nieuw Statendam, Van Lieshout investigated how the virus not only put a hold on daily life, infecting human bodies, but also infected the art market, the art world and the economy. The resulting drawings, collages and video work on view in Art Blasé, present a journal-like report of day-to-day life under the Coronavirus lockdown: the aimlessly floating cruise ships, the political grandstanding, the economic downturn and near collapse of the EU, the renewed joy in nature, the social unrest, the boredom. In typical fashion, Van Lieshout employs bold statements to uncover the subtler points of the anxiety surrounding the Coronavirus and its impact.