Lawrence Lek: Nøtel (The Hague)

Location: Stroom, Hogewal 1-9, The Hague
Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00 – 17:00 hrs
Opening: Saturday, 1 September , 17:00 hrs
Followed by Afterparty / club night starting at 22:00 hrs at The Grey Space, Paviljoensgracht 20, The Hague

"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, CEO of Nøtel Corporation

With Nøtel (The Hague), Stroom Den Haag presents the first solo exhibition in the Netherlands by Lawrence Lek. This multimedia installation transforms the exhibition space into the marketing suite of the Nøtel Corporation — a fictional hotel chain that promotes a fully automated, luxurious lifestyle. Designed by world-renowned architects, Nøtel offers a secure environment for a future nomadic elite, where secrecy and safety are paramount. Through a science-fiction scenario, Lek invites us to speculate on the future of labor, technology, and the relationship between citizen and state.

The hotel — a kind of archetype of modernist living — is pushed to its extreme in Nøtel. Lawrence Lek proposes that temporary housing might become a model for future architectural developments (think of sharing economy platforms like Uber and Airbnb). In this sense, Nøtel is a project about the future of living, artificial intelligence, the city, and the feeling of belonging — or not belonging — somewhere.

Lek’s fascination with international geopolitical and neoliberal power structures, and the entanglement of governments with commercial tech companies, is amplified in the futuristic scenarios of Nøtel. Trained as an architect, Lek creates digital universes using virtual reality and 3D animation that influence our perception of reality. The exhibition presents a vision of a hyper-luxurious future hotel where domestic tasks are no longer carried out by people (zerø-star™). In the site-specific Nøtel (The Hague), upgrades feature militarized architectural interventions combined with high-tech surveillance and cybersecurity. In doing so, Lek responds to The Hague’s current ambitions as the International City of Peace and Justice, and as a security hub (The Hague Security Delta).

London – The Hague
Nøtel is a joint commission by Stroom Den Haag and arebyte Gallery, London. Lek developed two distinct installations in collaboration with musician Kode9 (Steve Goodman), each tailored to its local context. The exhibition at arebyte — on view from July 19 to September 1, 2018 — focuses on the drastic changes in London in the areas of financial markets, real estate, and social mobility in the post-Brexit era.

More about Lawrence Lek
Lawrence Lek (1982, Frankfurt am Main) studied at Trinity College Cambridge, 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, Düsseldorf (2016); Secret Surface, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2016); and The Uncanny Valley, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge (2015). Lek received the Jerwood/Film and Video Umbrella Award in 2017 and the Dazed Emerging Artist Award in 2015. He lives in London, where he is currently working on his PhD at the Royal Academy.

With thanks to:
Nøtel (The Hague) and the Stroom School program are made possible by the Mondriaan Fund, the Creative Industries Fund NL, and the Municipality of The Hague.