Dirk Larsen

Graduating from the RCA in 1975, Dirk’s career began as one half of the performance art duo Reindeer Werk. Based in London and Amsterdam, he and artist Thom Puckey performed across Europe and North America for eight years. Conceptual artists with whom they were involved at that time were Laurie Andersen, Arnulf Rainer, and Marina Abramović. In 1977 they were invited by Joseph Beuys to perform at Germany’s Documenta 6.

In the 1980s Dirk returned to the UK and moved across to mise-en-scene painting. Working in a post-surrealist style, he sold at private galleries in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and London. In Dirk’s words: “This shift in gear was not appreciated by the conceptualists. However, in time it became clear: I was not alone. A group of artists in Cologne, Group Normal, were venturing along the same disrespectful path.”

From 2014 to 2020 Dirk made assemblages that draw on the imagery and structures of folk art, four of which are on display here. Today he is involved in creating children’s books for adults.