Hans Haacke is known for his multimedia works with sharply critical social and political overtones – some of which have been subject to censorship and even public defamation. Perhaps his most iconic work was Germania, his 1993 installation at the German pavilion of the Venice Biennale that made explicit reference to Nazi-era politics. Other works engage with topics like the shady dealings of real estate tycoons, the economic consequences of German reunification, the activities of multinational corporations. His process and materials are perpetually changing, perhaps as a result of his lifelong aversion to the idea of “style” and “personal expression.” Though Haacke is commonly considered a conceptual artist, he fails to see his own work that way – instead, he thinks of his practice as one that does not deal in objects but intellectual provocation.

“I do not work systematically. All sorts of things go through my head and pieces fall into place. And then I have to focus on these pieces and refine them and make something coherent out of it. But the ideas are born in an uncontrolled manner.” –Hans Haacke, Interview with Tate Museum