https://www.rsa.ox.ac.uk/people/ian-kiaer

I make fragile installations involving groupings of architectural models, untouched or slightly modified found objects, and two-dimensional work to create fragmented narratives. These works are prompted by the ideas of utopian thinkers, architects, and artists from various periods of history whose common concern has been their resistance to and critique of dominant ideologies, while also providing possible alternatives for thought. My installations often operate as projects or proposals and continue to employ the fragment as a means of questioning notions of totality and permanence.

My doctoral thesis was entitled Endless House: Models of Thought for Dwelling. In this research, I explored the question of the house as a model of thought, focusing in particular on Curzio Malaparte’s Casa Malaparte, Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Kundmangasse, Konstantin Melnikov’s Cylindrical House Studio, and Frederick Kiesler’s unbuilt concept of the Endless House. Since then, I have become interested in thinking about how the model can inform an understanding of painting as a “minor form,” where notions such as tone and timbre operate on the fringes of a potentially redundant practice.

I have exhibited internationally since 2000, with solo exhibitions at institutions including Tate Britain, London; Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin; Kunstverein München, Munich; and Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice. I have also exhibited at the Venice Biennale (50th), Istanbul Biennale (10th), Berlin Biennale (4th), Lyon Bienniale (10th), and Manifesta 3.