mail(at)oliverleu.com
B: + 32 (0)489 581344
D: + 49 (0)163 4716455
About
Oliver Leu (1976) studied comparative theology and Indology in Cologne and Bonn before he turned to photography. He trained as a photographer at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld. In his artistic practice Oliver Leu is concerned with questioning religion, the construction of history, the abuse of power and the consequences of colonial pasts. Since 2014 Oliver has developed these ideas in his project on Leopold II, for which he is researching and photographing the various forms of representation of the colonial history of Congo in Belgium.
CV
2017
artist residency at Frans Masereel Centrum in Kasterlee, Belgium in February and March
2015 residency in Ypres, Belgium, for citybooks/deBuren in cooperation with Flanders Fields Museum
since 2014: ongoing project on the representation of the colonial past and king Leopold II legacy in Belgium
2011 DAAD travel-grant for a photographic work on post-war Sri Lanka
2010 Leonardo grant for Antwerp/ Belgium, work on converted churches
2009 final project _eins, Kolkata, graduation in photography and media
with Prof. Katharina Bosse and Prof. Axel Grünewald
2003-2009 studies of photography and media at the
University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld, Germany
1997-2001 studies of english literature, indology and comparative
religious sciences, universities of Cologne and Bonn, Germany
1995 university-entrance diploma, Unna, Germany
*1976 Dortmund, Germany
exhibitions / book-events / publications
2018
_Leopold's Legacy and ONE edition, Malenki at UNSEEN Book Market, Amsterdam, NL
_Leopold's Legacy edition, Malenki at WIELS ART BOOK FAIR, Brussels, B
_ONE, Athens Photo Festival - Photobook Exhibition, Athens (GR)
_Leopold's Legacy and ONE edition, Malenki at THE COLOGNE ART BOOK FAIR, Köln, D
_selected for PortfolioMatch, Triennial of Photography, Hamburg, D
_Leopold's Legacy edition, Malenki at DÜSSELDORF PHOTOBOOK SALON, Düsseldorf, D
2017
_talk and booklaunch ONE, Lisbon Photobook Fair, Lisbon (P)
_OPEN M exhibition "There is always more to see"
Leopold's Legacy wall installation, groupshow at Cas-co, Leuven, B
2016
_ATLAS, groupshow with Oliver Leu, Katrin Kamrau, Sarah De Wilde, Pieter Huybrechts & Marge Monko at cookie butcher artspace, Antwerp, B
_Leopold's Legacy edition, Malenki at FRIENDS WITH BOOKS FAIR, Berlin
_Leopold's Legacy edition, Malenki at ANTWERP ART BOOK FAIR, Antwerp
_Leopold's Legacy edition, Malenki at WIELS ART BOOK FAIR, Brussels, B
_presentation of Leopold's Legacy edition at Shifting Focus Fotobuchmarkt, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, D
_Leopold's Legacy, Fotocircuit Vlaanderen at CC Wevelgem, CC Menen, CC Ieper, CC Torhout, CC Tielt, CC Evergem, B
2015
_Leopold's Legacy Edition, Malenki at Lisbon's Photobook Fair, P
_Leopold's Legacy, Cadixroute 2015 "Dromen aan de waterkant", Kattendijkdok, Antwerpen, B
_Sri Lanka-with might and main UNSEEN DUMMY AWARD tour,
Belfast Photo Festival, IRL
_Leopold's Legacy, Fotocircuit Vlaanderen at CC Sint-Niklaas, CC Bornem, GC Wemmel, CC Heist-op-den-Berg, CC Maaseik, CC Bilzen, CC Overpelt
_Kunstbox Artfair, Dortmund, D
_Leopold's Legacy, Fotocircuit Vlaanderen at Elcker-Ik, Antwerp, B
_Sri Lanka-with might and main book on show at PRINT ART FAIR 2015,
Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee, B
_Leopold's Legacy at CIAP, Hasselt, B
_Leopold's Legacy at Atelier De Wilden, Antwerp, B
2014
_Sri Lanka-with might and main shortlist for UNSEEN DUMMY AWARD, Amsterdam, NL
_SCHAU-Festival, Dortmunder U, Dortmund, Germany
_Der Greif exhibition Ein Prozess,
Neue Galerie im Höhmannhaus, Augsburg, Germany
2013
_3, Kunstinitiative „Im Friese“ e.V., Kirschau, Germany
_UN-FIXED, museum without building, Academy of Fine Arts,
Antwerp, Belgium
2012
_Eyes On Portfolio Review, Vienna, Austria
_6. Portfolio Walk der DFA, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany
2011
_Der Greif #4, photographic magazine
2010
_GUM 11 Magazin für konzeptionelles Gestalten, Kehrer Verlag
2009
_diploma exhibition, at the University of Applied
Sciences in Bielefeld, Germany