Josef Strau Biography
Josef Strau (1957 - ) Since the end of the 1980s Strau has experimented in various ways with the social roles of gallery owner, curator, writer, musician and artist. His many metamorphoses make him difficult to fit into one of the usual art world categories. In Germany, his activities made him a cult figure and he influenced an entire generation of artists. Strau's experimental artistic practice is rooted in the written word. Initially his writings took the form of articles for art catalogs and magazines; they later became autonomous narratives presented in the form of books and posters in the context of exhibitions. Strau's lyrics reflect the artistic conditions in which his objects are created and include countless references to his personal life. Josef Strau first attracted public attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the Friesenwall project space he created in Cologne together with Stephan Dillemuth. Strau himself celebrated a "non-productive attitude": he lived the life of an artist without the intention of producing objects of commercial value. In 2002 Strau set up the Meerrettich Gallery in Berlin, a glass pavilion on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz where he presented performances, events, exhibitions and installations by artists such as Jutta Koether, Isa Genzken, Josephyne Pride and Bernadette Corporation. At the end of 2006, Strau closed the gallery, partly because he did not want the program to become banal and partly to devote himself full time to his own artistic practice. Strau's most recent solo presentations are Don't Climb The Pyramids at Greene Naftali in New York (2006) and Voices at the Buchholz Gallery in Cologne. Strau has also taken part in group exhibitions at Secession, Vienna, Portikus, Frankfurt and White Columns, New York.
