Josef Strau is an artist who writes and a writer who makes art. He describes his work as an ongoing story and as such much of his work is text-based and printed on pamphlets. The printed and handwritten texts that cover his characteristic white paintings and posters take the tone of intimate personal revelation, but, of course, we are not reading someone’s diary–the self that is revealed is a fiction framed by the art object into which it is incorporated. Playfully manipulating traditional aspects of literature, he attaches his texts to cheap standing lampshades, customizing them with a coat of whitewash, to create actively ‘illuminated’ manuscripts and other amusing puns on the novel. The sheer quantity of language in Josef Strau’s installations generates a certain logorrheic din. Yet his installations are by no means chaotic, but instead rather modest or even cozy: Floor lamps huddle near posters of typewritten text, discreetly pinned up, strung on ribbons, or stacked in piles for distribution. Strau’s work is sardonic intervention, a celebration of contingency parading as ritual completeness. This aesthetic fragility betrays its own purchase as a signifier: just as there are concealed truths and uttered variances in the most digestible of narratives, Strau’s anti-narrative deals in cogencies (anti-ideational, anti-commodity) that beg consumption.

Lives and works in Berlin

1957Born Vienna, Austria

2002 – presentCurator of Galerie Meerrettich in the Glass Pavillion at the Volksbühne Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin

2004Co-curated Now and Ten Years Ago Kunstwerke, Berlin

Solo Exhibitions

2016Rainyday and hundred of water and everything, Dépendance, Brussels, Belgium
“THE POSTORS”, Goton, Paris, Frances
Loyalties, House of Gaga, Mexico City, Mexico

2015A Turtle Dreaming (… Echoes from an Encapsulated Space Exiled Sounds of Letters Requiring Symphonic Treatment), Wiener Secession, Wien

2014The Renaissance Society, Chicago
My Divid'ed House, Vilma Gold, London

2013Edition, Repetition, Competition and Jewlery of Flower and Redemption, House of Gaga, Mexico D.F.

2012Counter Production, General Foundation, Vienna, Austria Josef Strau + Side Show, Greene Naftali, New York

2010The Balalaika Moment, Dependance, Brussels
The ‘why does this all happen to me’ Experience, House of Gaga, Mexico City Josef Strau and Clegg&Guttman: Vienna and Jerusalem, Pro Choice, Wien

2009The Oriental Therapies, Daniel Bucholz, Berlin
Vorschlag zur Erneuerung des Gedekens an den Tod des Autors und auch zur Gleichzeitigen Erweiterung durch die Leselampe der Schreiber, WHITE HEAT, presented by Kunstlerhaus Stuttgart/Hermes und der Pfau, Stuttgart
Inquities Suspend, Rowley Kennerk Gallery, Chicago
The Space of Words, MUDAM, Luxemburg
Rowley Kennerk Gallery, Chicago
Contemporary Art Museum, groupshow, Saint Louis

2008iamb: the limbo of vanity, Vilma Gold, London (with R.H. Quaytman) Malmö Konsthall, Malmö
18 Inquitites, Greene Naftali, New York
Why Doesn’t My Plant Grow Anymore?, Vilma Gold, London (with R.H. Quaytman)

2007Voices and Substitutes, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Voices, Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne
Why Doesn’t My Plant Grow Anymore? Vilma Gold, London Josef Strau, Dependance, Brussels

2006Dont Climb the Pyramids, Greene Naftali, New York
c/o Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Ziegelstrasse, Berlin invited by Yilmaz Dziewior

2002Nazis of Suburbia, Greene Naftali, New York

1998a, Galerie Christian Nagel, Cologne

Group Exhibitions

2016Pure Fiction, Marian Goodman, Paris, France
Night Thoughts, CCS Bard, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, US

2015Welcome You’re in the Right Place, organized and designed by AIRBNB Pavilion, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin

2014House of Gaga presents Single Moms, Vilma Gold, London
FAX, KARST Plymouth, UK
The Promise, Arnolfini, Bristol, UK
Liverpool Biennial, collaboration with Stefan Tcherepnin
Staging Interruptions (Stream of Life) curated by Sarina Basta and Mary Rinebold, Southard Reid, London
Über Das Radikale Nebeneinander, Halle Fur Kunst, Luneburg, Germany

2013Frieze Projects, London

2012The Piano Lesson, Vilma Gold, London

2011Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany
Dystopia; After 4000 Years Of Sci-Fi, CAPC, Bordeaux A Different Person, Badischer Kunstverein, Germany True Faith, Andersens Contemporary, Copenhagen

2010Light from Light, curated by Kim Machan, MAAP, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane and Shanghai Library, Shanghai
The Milk Drop Coronet, Camera Austria, Graz
Novel, Dependance, Brussels
Today I Made Nothing, Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York
The Pursuer, Greene Naftali, NY
The Evryali Score, David Zwirner, NY
The Baghdad Batteries, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre, Long Island City
At Home/Not at Home: Works from the Collection of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg, CCS Bard Hesel Museum of Art, Annandale on Hudson, NY
Negation/Sybtraction/Dissolution, arranged by Front Desk Apparatus, Kantor Gallery, LA
The Day Grew Dark, a lecture by Juliette Blightman from the “no re-admittance” series featuring Josef Strau, Chantal Akerman, Axel Wieder and New Order, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Stuttgart
Josef Strau and Clegg&Guttman: Vienna and Jerusalem, Pro Choice, Wien The Inhabitants, Vilma Gold, London

2009The Oriental Therapies, Daniel Bucholz, Berlin Scorpio’s Garden, Temporäre Kunsthalle Berlin
Galerie Lelong, New York
Quodlibet II, Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Köln Contemporary Art Museum, groupshow, Saint Louis

2008Novel, Bibliothekswohnung, Anna-Catharina Gebbers curated by Matt Williams, Berlin Galerie Catherine Bastide & Dependance, Brüssel
Galerie Catherine Bastide and dependence, Brussels
Manifesta 7, The European Biennal of Contemporary Art, Trentino, South Tyrol, Italy One Season in Hell, Mehringdamm 72, Berlin
It’s Gonna Rain, Maison populaire, Montreuil, France curated by Christophe Gallois

2007Shandyismus, Secession, Vienna, Austria

2006...:ICAL KRBBR PRDLY PRSNTS GART JAS, JON KLSY, JOSF STRAU, curated by
Michael Krebber, Portikus, Frankfurt, Germany
Looking Back, White Columns, New York
Next to Kin, Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, Germany
La maman et la putain curated by Eva Svennung, Air de Paris, Paris Our Marvellous Ambition, Vilma Gold Project Space, Berlin
Make Your Own Life: Artists In and Out of Cologne, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; curated by Bennett Simpson (Additional Venues: Power Plant, Toronto; Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, 2007)
Drei rohe Eier auf dem Spiegel, Georg Imdahl, Kölner-Stadt-Anzeiger, September 22, 2006 Von der Abwesenheit des Lagers, Kunsthaus Dresden

2005The Gone Wai, curated by Tobias Buche Gagosian Gallery Berlin, Possession, Paul-Linke-Ufer, Berlin curated by Dominique Eichler

2004Mg, Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne
Zeichnungen, Werkleitzbiennale, Halle curated by Ariane MFligen

2003Arbeitsschutz,Wandbilder, WBD, Berlin, Editionen 4 Jahre WBD, Berlin Photo +, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York
Photo +, Prague Biennale 1

2002The Nazis of Suburbia, onomien der Zeit, curated by Hans-Christian Dany and Astrid Wege,
Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Pictures, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York

2000The Inheritage, Video for Coal By Any Other Name, organized by S. Dillemuth, Colin De Land
Fine Art, New York
Hey, international competition style! TENT, Rotterdam curated by Amelie von Wulffen und Dirk Schmidt
ProduktivitÔø und Existenz organized by ¬ìDie Beute¬î,
Bethanienhaus, Berlin
Deutsche Kunst in Moskau, Central House of Artists, Moscow
Snowflake Office organized by C. KrÔøΩ Greene Naftali Gallery, NewYork

1999The Castle, (with Amelie von Wulffen), Snowflake Office, Galerie WalbrDorf

1998SUUM SUUN AKVY `73, Laden Schillerstr. 32, Berlin
Kunstb60, Wien with The Nazis of Suburbia

1997Die krumme Pranke, Video with A. Creischer, A. Siekmann, A. von Wulffen

1993Friesenwall 120, Cologne, co-curated with Stefan Dillemuth 1990-1993
Galerie Christian Nagel, Cologne
Pat Hearn Gallery, New York (with S. Dillemuth) Parallax View: New York-Cologne at P.S. 1
Four Walls, New York (with S. Dillemuth)

1991Galerie Christian Nagel, Cologne
Kunstraum Daxer, MÔø Ω (with S. Dillemuth)

1990Raum Masse 10, Hamburg (with C. von Bonin)

Bibliography and Published Texts

2015Higashino, Yuki. Critic’s Picks: Josef Strau, Artforum Online, 30 May 2015
Josef Strau, Dreaming Turtle, published by Secession 2015

2014Schaar, Elisa, Josef Strau, Vilma Gold, Artforum Review, May 2014

2011Nordby Werno, Johanna, Nobody Can Tell The Why Of It, Artforum Critics Picks, August 2011 Haraldseth, Geir, No Body Can Tell The Why Of IT, Kaleidoscope Blog!, May 2011, Aftenposten, June 2011
Semiotext, June 2011
Diary-Mousse Issue 28, April/May 2011

2010Strau, Josef, ‘Alongside the Abstract Plane, Dots and Bangs of Latent Evidences and True
Relativity Exposed’, in Wolfgang Tillmans, Serpentine Gallery, London
Strau, Josef, ‘Why Working Together With an Inner Voice’, May Magazine No.4, Paris, pp.131- 137
Strau, Josef, ‘Exploration of the Self’, on Birgit Megerle, Texte Zur Kunst No.77, March, p.126- 128
Strau, Josef, ‘Artist Project, No.21’ and interview, Mousse Magazine, Issue 23, April-May, p.77- 79
Eichler, Dominic, ‘Out of Inconvenience: Josef Strau’, Mousse, Issue 3 April/May 2010, pp.34-39

2009Josef Strau, Daniel Bucholz, Art in America, Oct.2009, p 180

2008The Artists’ Artists - Josef Strau, Artforum International: The Best of 2008, December
Josef Strau: A Dissidence Coincidence But W.H.C.T.L.J.S, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö
van Kampen, Saskia, Josef Strau: Voices and Substitutes, Flash Art, January/February

2007Filipovic, Elena, Josef Strau, Frieze, September
Lack, Jessica, Josef Strau, The Guardian Guide, May 5-11
Sumpter, Helen, My Space #2: Vilma Gold, Time Out London, May 2-8 Josef Strau, Afterall, Spring/Summer
Hermes, Manfred, Next to Kin, Frieze-Issue 104, January/February

2006Cotter, Holland, Art in Review: Looking Back, The New York Times, Friday December 1 Ammirati, Domenick, Josef Strau, Modern Painters, September

2006Josef Strau New Yorker, July 31
‘The Non-productive Attitude, Make Your Own Life: Artists in and out of Cologne’, ICA Philadelphia exhibition catalogue

2005von Wulffen, Amelie, Die Anrufung/The Invocation, Kunstverein Dorf/Kunstmuseum Basel Winterling, Susanne, Time structure and Passerbys, Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai

2004Zu Josef Kramhrs Buch, Kunstverein Dorf

2003Kramhr, Josef, Cafe Voss, Sergej Jensen/Stefan M/, Kunstverein Braunschweig
Genzken, Isa, Haare wachsen, wie sie wollen, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne Josef Strau, exh. Cat. Prague Biennale 1
Zitat und Kchkeit, fluter
Giorgine und die Entspannung der Nicht-Authentischen in Texte zur Kunst 48

2002B,Texte zur Kunst 45, Berlin
Der Malstrom, Ökonomien der Zeit, ed. HC Dany/Astrid Wege, Frankfurt/Main The Nazis of Surburbia, Ökonomien der Zeit, Museum Ludwig, Köln, Dany/ Wege Cotter, Holland, Pictures, New York Times, February 15

2001Die Favoritin, Metallic, Berlin
Pryde, Josephine, Das Auge der Verwesung, Serena, hrsg. Kunstverein Braunschweig
von Wulffen, Amelie, Ruine und Mond, Museum der Røchen Geschichte hrsg. Kunstverein Braunschweig
Spuk am Waldsee, Texte zur Kunst 41, Berlin

2000Geheimnis der Mode, Texte zur Kunst 40, Berlin
Schmerler, Sarah Schmerler, Snowflake Office, Time Out, January

1999Ein Gang durch das Je Museum, Texte zur Kunst 36, Berlin

1997Die wir soziale Intervention (with A. Siekmann) A.N.Y.P., Berlin

1996Kontinuitam Beispiel des Stadtplaners Roland Rainer demontage Nr. 11, Wien Kultur fe,
Messe 2ok, Cologne

1991Graw, Isabelle, Man of Strau, Artscribe, November/December

1990Koether, Jutta, Cosima von Bonin – Josef Strau – Ausstellungsraum Münzstraße 10, Flash Art,
Summer