Born 1952 in Luxembourg, died there in 2016, he lived and worked in Milan.
Bert Theis
was an artist and activist often circling around the themes of ecological policies, urbanisation and gentrification in his works. His international acclaim arose at the 1995 Venice Biennale, where he represented Luxembourg. Theis was mostly known for his large site-specific urban installations in densely populated areas based on public platforms and pavilions in parks. He has organized and directed two long-term projects – Isola Art Center and out-Office for Urban Transformation – around the conflict opposing the inhabitants of the Isola district, Milan City government and an American multinational company. “I’m a builder of platforms. Usually I build platforms with white painted wood, the most known being probably the „Philosophical Platform“ for Sculpture Projects in Münster, 1997. My platforms, (and pavilions, which I consider as roofed platforms) are social spaces, where all kinds of activities can freely happen.” (Bert Theis)