Lawrence Lek: Nøtel (The Hague)

Nøtel Trailer (Third Ear Transmission) - Kode9 x Lawrence Lek from Lawrence Lek on Vimeo.

1 September - 4 November 2018

Opening: Saturday 1 September, 17 hrs
facebook album opening
Stroom Den Haag, Hogewal 1-9
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Followed by an afterparty / club night from 22:00 hrs in The Grey Space, Paviljoensgracht 20, The Hague
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Download exhibition guide (pdf)

Location: Stroom Den Haag, Hogewal 1-9, The Hague
Open: Wednesday - Sunday, 12 - 17 hrs

Stroom School: Nøtel (The Hague)
Public program accompanying the exhibition  
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Nøtel Corporation is proud to present our first virtual reality advertisement for the Nøtel, our flagship range of zerø-star™ hotels that embody the concept of fully-automated luxury. Designed by world-leading architects to accommodate today's global nomads, you can rest assured that your secrecy and security is of the utmost importance. Why not indulge in the intelligent sound system at the piano bar, or bathe in the glow of our thermal spa?
- Lawrence Lek, Nøtel Corporation CEO

Stroom Den Haag proudly presents Nøtel (The Hague), the first solo show in the Netherlands by Lawrence Lek. It is an immersive multimedia installation in which the exhibition space is transformed into a marketing suite for the Nøtel Corporation; a fictitious hotel chain which promotes a fully automated luxury lifestyle. Designed by world-famous architects, Nøtel offers a safe haven for future elites who no longer require permanent housing but would rather stay in a range of temporary housing where safety and privacy are key. Lek invites us through this science-fiction scenario to speculate on the nature of work, technology, and government-citizen relations.

In Nøtel, the hotel as an ur-type of modern life is taken to its natural conclusion. Lek imagines that temporary accommodation form the future of architectural developments, such as the ones presented by platforms like Uber and Airbnb. Nøtel is an exhibition about the future of living, artificial intelligence, the city, and the sense of belonging.

Lek's fascination for international geopolitical force fields and the intertwinement of governments and commercial tech businesses are augmented in the future scenarios of Nøtel. Lek, educated as an architect, makes digital universes which spill into reality, aided by virtual reality simulations and 3D animations. The exhibitions sketches a hyper-luxurious future in which domestic labour is no longer performed by people (zerø-star™). In the site specific Nøtel (The Hague) military architectural upgrades are combined with high-tech surveillance and cyber security. Through this, Lek reveals The Hague's ambitions not only as the International City of Peace and Justice, as it brands itself, but as a city of Peace, Justice, and Security, exemplified by the government-sponsored weapons and security interest group The Hague Security Delta.

London - The Hague
Nøtel is a joint commission by Stroom The Hague and arebyte Gallery, London. In collaboration with electronic musician Kode9 (Steve Goodman), Lek has developed two different installations specific to their local contexts. In the exhibition at Arebyte - from 19th of July until 1 September 2018 - Lek addresses the drastic changes developing in London around real estate speculation, financial markets and social mobility in the Brexit era.

Lawrence Lek
Lawrence Lek (1982, Frankfurt am Main) studied at Cambridge University, the Architectural Association in London and Cooper Union in New York. Recent exhibitions include 2065, K11, Hong Kong (2018), Play Station, Art Night, London (2017); HyperPavilion, Venice Biennale, (2017); Glasgow International, Tramway, Glasgow (2016); SeMA Biennale Mediacity, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul (2016); Missed Connections, Julia Stoschek Collection, Dusseldorf (2016); Secret Surface, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2016); and The Uncanny Valley, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge (2015). Lek has won the Jerwood Film and Video Umbrella Award in 2015. He is based in London where he is currently obtaining a PhD at the Royal Academy of the Arts.

Special thanks to:
Nøtel (The Hague) is made possible through generous support by the Creative Industries Fund NL, the Mondriaan Fund, and the City of The Hague.

IN THE MEDIA
Jegens & Tevens, 31 October 2018
Villa La Repubblica, 11 October 2018
Villa Next Door, 11 October 2018
Gonzo Circus, 3 October 2018
Museumtijdschrift, 20 September 2018
MetropolisM.com, 12 September 2018
de Volkskrant, 7 September 2018
NRC, 6 September 2018
Den Haag Centraal, 6 September 2018
Glamcult, 30 August 2018
VICE, 30 August 2018
DutchCowboys, 12 August 2018
Bright.nl, 29 July 2018
Apollo Magazine, 26 July 2018
AD Haagsche Courant, 25 July 2018
Architectenweb, 23 July 2018

LINKS
http://lawrencelek.com
http://www.arebyte.com

Lawrence Lek, 'Nøtel (The Hague)', exhibition view at Stroom Den Haag, 2018
photo: Tarona Leonora, courtesy Stroom Den Haag
Lawrence Lek, 'Nøtel (The Hague)'
photo: Lawrence Lek, courtesy the artist
Lawrence Lek, 'Nøtel (The Hague)', exhibition view at Stroom Den Haag
photo: Bob Goedewaagen, courtesy Stroom Den Haag
Lawrence Lek, 'Nøtel (The Hague)'
photo: Lawrence Lek, courtesy the artist
Lawrence Lek, 'Nøtel (The Hague)'
photo: Lawrence Lek, courtesy the artist
Lawrence Lek, 'Nøtel (The Hague)'
photo: Lawrence Lek, courtesy the artist
Lawrence Lek: Nøtel (The Hague)
photo: design: Studio Lennarts & de Bruijn