Erik van Lieshout

Ego is a sort of drive-in movie about Erik Van Lieshout's eccentric family created for the 2013 Venice Biennale. Ego explores whether art can make a difference in the world. It questions the artist's own egotism, comparing his practice with the professions of his family members, most of whom are engaged in social work (his brother Dirk van Lieshout is also an artist and made the film's animation). Erik van Lieshout travels to Tanzania with his mother who attempts to bring solace to AIDS patients. He films his sister who works as a physiotherapist for handicapped patients. And he speaks with his father who gave up his calling as a priest to become a social worker. Exploring religion, duty and guilt, the piece acts as a form of public penance for the artist. Van Lieshout has built a large, sloping platform covered in brightly coloured carpet on which visitors can sit to watch the film. Underneath is hidden an installation titled House of Guilt, made in memory of his brother-in-low who committed suicide shortly after the film's completion. (This text is an extract from: Erik van Liesthout - The Show Must Ego On, Wiels, 2016)