STEPHEN WILLATS

1943 Born 17th August in London. Lives and works in London

BIOGRAPHY



1962-63 ‘The Ground Course’, Ealing School of Art
1965 to date Editor and publisher of Control Magazine
1972-73 Director of ‘The Centre for Behavioural Art’, London
1979-80 D.A.A.D. Fellowship, West Berlin
1990 Convener of the Symposium, ‘Art Creating Society’, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
1991 ‘Stephen Willats - Printed Archive’ established at the Victoria and Albert Museum
2003 Convener of the Seminars ‘Art Intervention’, Control Magazine at Vilma Gold, London.
2005 ‘Multiple Clothing’, Showstudio. com webstite project established.
2006 ‘Multiple Clothing’ seminar and performance at Tate Modern, London.
2007 ‘Assumptions And Presumptions’, film comission by Transport for London, for Rayners Lane and Sudbury Town Underground Stations.

ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS

1964
Chester Beatty Research Centre, London
1968
‘Visual Automatics & Visual Transmitters’, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
1973
‘The Artist As An Instigator Of Changes in Social Cognition and Behaviour’, Gallery House, London
1974
‘Life Codes And Behaviour Parameters’, Gallery December, Munster, West Germany
1975
‘Coding Structures And Behaviour Parameters’, Massimo Minini, Gallery Banco, Brescia, Italy
‘Meta Filter, A State Of Agreement’, The Gallery, London
1976
‘Life Codes And Behaviour Parameters’, The Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham
‘Social Structures: The Perception of Context’, Stampa Gallery, Basel, Switzerland
‘Attitudes Within Four Relationships’, Lisson Gallery, London
1977
‘Attitudes Within Four Relationships’, Southampton City Art Gallery
1978
‘Questions About Ourselves’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘Living Within Contained Conditions’, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
1979
‘Concerning Our Present Way of Living’, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1980
‘The Lurky Place’, Galerie Jurgen Schweinebraden, East Berlin
‘Four Professionals’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘Berlin Wall Drawings’, Galerie Rudiger Schottle, Munich
‘Concerning Our Present Way of Living’, Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
‘4 Inseln in Berlin’, National Galerie, West Berlin
1981
‘4 Inseln in Berlin’, Goethe Institute, London
‘Mens en Omgeving’, De Beyerd Centrum voor beeldende Kunst, Breda, Holland
1982
‘Meta Filter and Related Works’, Tate Gallery, London
‘The New Reality’, Orchard Gallery, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
1983
‘Angst in den Strasse’, Rudiger Schottle Galerie, Munich
‘Inside The Night’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘Under Cover’, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol
1984
‘Means of Escape’, Rochdale Art Gallery, Greater Manchester
‘Another City’, Riverside Studios, London
1985
‘Doppelganger’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘Double Crossing’, Ralph Wernicke Galerie, Stuttgart
1986
‘City of Concrete’, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
‘Grusse vom Medernen Lebe’, Stadtische Galerie, Regensburg, West Germany
‘Groeten uit het moderne leven’, Museum van Hedenaagse Kunst, Utrecht, Holland
‘Concepts and Models’, ICA, London
‘Vier Hiizen in Den Haag’, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, Holland
‘Striking Back’, Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield
‘Fragments of Modern Living’, Galerie Tanja Grunert, Cologne
1987
‘Contemporary Living’, Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Gent
‘Concepts and Projects Bookworks’, Nigel Greenwood Books, London
‘Between Objects And People’, Leeds City Art Gallery
1988
‘Transformers’, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
‘Code Breakers’, Torch Gallery, Amsterdam
‘Stephen Willats’, Galerie Ralph Wernicke, Stuttgart
1989
‘Secret Language’, Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester
1990
‘Mosaics’, Galerie Kaj Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
‘Stephen Willats’, Galerie Barbara Farber, Amsterdam
1991
‘Publishing Interventions, 1963 - 1991’, National Art Library, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
1992
‘Signs of Living’, Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie, Paris
1993
‘Buildings & People’, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
‘Multiple Clothing’, Institute of Contemporary Art, London
‘Walking Between Objects’, Galerie Franck & Schulte, Berlin
‘Buildings & People’, Goethe Institute, London
1994
‘Multiple Clothing’, Daniel Buchholz, Cologne
‘Random Life’, Victoria Miro Gallery, London
‘Museum Mosaic’, Tate Gallery, Liverpool
‘Fateful Combinations’, The British School at Rome
‘Into the Infra-Structure’, Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam
‘Urban Nomads’, Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie, Paris
1995
‘Living Together’, Tramway, Glasgow
‘A State Of Agreement’, Galerie Franck & Schulte, Berlin
‘Writing on the Wall’, Galerie Kaj Forsblom, Helsinki
‘Writing on the Wall’, Reinhard Hauff at Galerie Archim Kubinski, Stuttgart
1996
‘In Response To Each Other’, Galerie Brandstetter & Wyss, Zurich
‘Du Hasard A l’Accord’, Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie, Paris
1997
‘Street Talk’, Gallery Victoria Miro, London
‘Between Me And You’, Middlesbrough Art Gallery
‘MULTICULT’, Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam
1998
‘Random Encounter’, Southampton City Art Gallery
‘Changing Everything’, South London Art Gallery
‘Creative Force’, Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield
‘Multicult Berlin’, Galerie Franck & Schulte, Berlin
‘Concepts, Strategies & Models 1962 - 65’, Gimpel Fils, London
‘Blind Date With Reality’, Galerie Brandstetter & Wyss, Zurich
1999
‘Multichannel Vision’, Galerie Reinhard Hauff, Stuttgart
2000
‘Macro To Micro’. Gallery Laure Genillard.London.
2001
‘Traces And Signs’ Galerie Lumen Travo. Amsterdam.
‘Rencontres et Cooperations 1970-2000.’ Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie. Paris.
‘Man From The Twenty First Century. Nottingham 1970-1971’. Clinique. London.
2002
‘Through Your Symbolic World’. Victoria Miro Gallery, London.
‘Cognition Control. From The Archives of Stephen Willats’.
Instutute of Visual Culture. Fitzwilliam Museum. Cambridge.
2003
‘Personal Encounters In Your Imagination’, Galerie Reinhard Hauff, Stuttgart.
2004
‘Messages From The Polemical City’. Galerie Thomas Schulte, Berlin.
2005
‘Street Talk Amsterdam’. Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam.
‘Multichannel Life’, Galerie Christian Nagel, Köln, Germany.
2006
‘Publishing Interventions’, Connor Donlon Books, Herald Street Gallery, London.
‘From My Mind To your Mind’, Victoria Miro Gallery, London.
‘Wie die Welt ist und wie sie sein könnte, Stephen Willats’.
Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, Germany.
‘Going Home’. MOT Gallery, London.
2007
‘Person To Person People To People’, Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes.
‘Just Between People’, Galerie Reinhard Hauff, Stuttgart.
2008
‘Democratic Mosaics And Conceptual Towers’, Galerie Thomas
Schulte, Berlin. ‘The Architecture of Stephen Willats’, LWL, Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Munster, Germany.
‘The Speculative Diagram’, CASCO, Utrecht, Holland.
2009
‘In And Out The Underworld’ European Kunsthalle, Köln.
‘The Ideological Diagram’ Galerie Christian Nagel, Köln.
‘Assumptions And Identity Identity And Assumptions’, Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1966
‘Kunst Licht Kunst’, Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Holland
1967
‘K 4”, Brighton Festival
‘Light and Movement’, Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry
1968
‘Public Eye’, Kunsthaus Hamburg, Germany
‘Preview London’, Camden Arts Centre, London
1969
‘Five Light Artists’, Greenwich Theatre Art Gallery, London
‘British Movements’, Onnasch Galerie, Berlin, Germany
1970
‘Kinetic Art’, Hayward Gallery, London
1971
‘Electric Theatre’, ICA Gallery, London
‘Invention of Problems’, Leicester Polytechnic, Leicester
1972
‘Survey of the Avant-Guarde’, Gallery House, London
‘Cognition Control’, Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham
‘Cognition Control’, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
1973
‘Interact’, Edinburgh Festival, Scotland
1974
‘Art as Thought Process’, Serpentine Gallery, London
1975
‘Structures and Codes’, Royal College of Art Gallery, London
‘Artists’ Bookworks’, British Council Touring Exhibition for Germany
‘Body and Soul’, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1976
‘Artist’s Bookworks’, Arts Council of Great Britain Touring Exhibition
‘Art as Thought Process’, British Council Touring Exhibition for France
‘Twentieth Century Artist’s Photographs’, Israel Museum, Israel
1977
‘Gallery Artists’, Lisson Gallery, London and then Fine Arts Building, New York
‘Social Criticism and Art Practice’, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, USA
‘10th Biennale of Paris’, France
1979
‘In Certain Art Anglais’, ARC 2, Museum of Modern Art, Paris
‘Anglo-Belgium Exhibition’, JP2 Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
‘Languages’, Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, Arts Council of Great Britain Touring Exhibition
‘La Parola e le Imagine’, Commune di Milano, Italy
1980
‘Artist and Camera’, Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield
1981
‘Kunst und Politik’, Basischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany
‘Die Kehrseite der Wunschbilder’, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany
‘Sculpture in the Twentieth Century’, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1982
‘Contemporary Choice’, Contemporary Art Society Exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, London
“Noi altri wir anderen’. Regensberg Stadt Museum, Germany
‘Past - Present - Future’, Wuttembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart, Germany
‘Enweiterte Fotografie’, Wiener Secession, Wiener, Austria
‘London - New York’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘Aperto 82”, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
1983
‘Place”, Gimpel Fils Gallery, London
‘New Art and the Tate Gallery’, Tate Gallery, London
‘The Sculpture Show’, Hayward Gallery, London
1984
‘Strip Language’, Gimpel Fils Gallery, London
1985
‘Watch Your Step’, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
‘Sculpture Alternatives - Aspects of Photography and Sculpture in Britain 1965 - 82’, Tate Gallery, London
‘The British Art Show’, National Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
‘Summer in the City’, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
‘Human Interest’, Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester
‘The British Show’, Art Gallery of New South Wales (travelling exhibition throughout Australia)
1986
‘The Art of Peace Biennale’, Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany
‘Androgyn’, Academie der Kunst, Berlin, Germany
‘Eye Level’, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Holland
1987
‘Art and Craft made and designed in the Twentieth Century’, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
1988
‘British Modernist Painting’, Birch & Conran Fine Art, London
‘Beyond the City, The Metropolis’, Triennale di Milano, Italy
‘What is good appears, and what appears is good’, Galerie Tanja Grunert, Cologne, Germany
‘New Urban Landscape’, World Financial Centre, Battery Park, New York, USA
‘100 Years of British Art’, Leeds City Art Gallery, Leeds
‘New Reform Retrospective 1970 - 79’, Cultural Centre, Alst, Belgium
Rudgier Schottle Gallery, Munich, Germany
1989
‘Invisible City’, Leeds City Art Gallery, Leeds
‘Tekens Van Verzet’, Beeld Museum Fodor, Amsterdam, Holland
1990
‘Art Creating Society’, Exhibition to accompany Symposium at the MOMA, Oxford
1991
‘Oikos’, Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie, Paris
‘Excavating the Present’, Kettles Yard Gallery, Cambridge
‘Past Continuous’, Artsite Trust, Bath Festival
‘Shocks to the System’, ACGB Touring Exhibition, South Bank Centre, London
1992
‘Wasteland’, Photographic Biennale, Rotterdam, Holland
‘Real Stories’, Museet fur Photokunst, Odense, Denmark
‘Instructions and Diagrams’, Victoria Miro Gallery, London
1993
‘Sixties Art Scene in London’, Barbican Art Gallery, London
‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘Public and Private’, Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘The Ideal Place’, HCAK, Den Haag, Holland
1994
‘Outsiders’, Camerawork, London
‘Visione Britannica’, Valentina Moncada, Rome, Italy
‘Sarah Staton Super Store Boutique’, Laure Genillard Gallery, London
‘Conceptual Living’, Rhizome, Amsterdam, Holland
‘Looking at Words: Reading Pictures’, Elms Lester Painting Rooms, London
‘Lesezimmer II’, Kunstlerhaus, Stuttgart, Germany
1995
‘Mapping Knowledge’, The Minories Gallery, Colchester
‘Ars 95 Helsinki’, Helsinki, Finland
‘I don’t actually have to go’, Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam, Holland
‘Imprint 93’, City Racing, London
‘Temples’, Victoria Miro Gallery, London
‘Ideal Standard Summertime’, Lisson Gallery, London
‘La Transparence Dans L’Art Du XXe Siecle’, Museum des Beaux-Arts Malraux, Le Havre, France
‘The Edge of Town’, Joseloff Gallery, University of Hartford, Conn., USA
‘Paste-Up, Past & Present’, Kent Gallery, New York
1996
‘Les Contes de Fees se terminent bien’, Frac Haute-Normandie, Chateau du Val Freneuse, Sotteville-sous-le-Val
1996
‘Radikale Images’, 2nd Austrian Triennale for Photograph, Neue Galerie, Graz
‘Everybody’s Talking’, Gemeentemuseum Helmond, Holland
1997
‘Sous le manteau’, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropec, Paris
‘The Grand Design’, The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, USA
‘In Every Moment Everywhere’, Porin Taidemuseo, Finland
‘C’est ici que nous vivons (2)’, FRAC Rhones-Alpes, France
‘Photographie d’une Collection 3/97’, de la Caise des Depots et Consignations, Paris
‘Wilson to Callaghan’, Poster Studio, London
1998
‘Addressing the Century, 100 Years of Art & Fashiom’, Hayward Gallery, London
1999
‘Nur Wasser Lasst Sich Leichter Schneiden’, Hamburg
“Bildung’. Grazer Kunstverien. Graz. Austria.
‘Borderline PILOT’. Museum van Bommel van Dam,Venlo.Holland.
2000
‘Democracy’. Royal College of Art. London.April/May.
‘Live In Your Head’. Whitechapel Art Gallery. London.
‘Protest And Survive’.Whitechapel Art Gallery.London.
‘Raw’.Victoria Miro Gallery.London.
‘ein/raumen. Hamburger Kunsthalle. Hamburg.
‘Protest And Survive’. Whitechapel Art Gallery.London.
2001
‘City Racing. A Partial Account.’ Institute of Contemporary Art,London.
‘Conception. Conceptual Documents 1968-72.’ Norwich Gallery. Norwich.
‘Double Vision’.Galerie fur Zeitgenossische Kunst. Leipzig.Germany.
‘Antagonisms’. Musee d’Art Contemperani,de Barcelona. Spain.
‘Arbeit Essen Angst’, Kokerei Zollverein, Essen. Germany.
‘The Map Is Not The Territory’. England & Co. London.
‘Video Evidence’. Southampton City Art Gallery. Southampton.
‘Video Project Space’. Anthony Wilkinson Gallery. London.
‘Works on Paper, Acconci To Zittel’. Victoria Miro Gallery.London.
‘Selbst Portrat’. Schloss Agathenburg. Agathenburg. Germany.
‘Stadsgezichten. Amsterdam vereeuwigd 1901-2001.’
Amsterdams Historisch Museum. Holland.
2002
‘Private Views’.London Print Studio.
‘The Gap Show’. Museum am Ostwald. Dortmund.
‘Air Guitar’ Milton Keynes Gallery and then touring.
‘Art For Networks’. Chapter Art Centre, Cardiff and then touring.
‘Blast To Freeze. British Art In The Twentieth Centuury’. Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Germany.
2003
‘Collection 001’. Frac Rhone-Alpes. Institut d’art Contemporain. Villeurbanne. France.
‘In Portraiture Irrelevance Is Ugliness’. Curated by Claudia Seidel.
Galerie Reinhard Hauff. Stuttgart.
‘Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered’. Migros Museum. Zurich.
‘In Portraiture Irrelevance Is Ugliness’. Museum Schloss Hardenberg.
Velbert-Neviges. Germany.
‘Art For Networks’. Turnpike Gallery. Leith, Nr Manchester.
‘Air Guitar. Reconsidering Rock Music’. Tulie House Museum & Art Gallery. Carlise.
‘Urban Codes, coder/decoder’’, Espace de l’Art Concret, Chateau de Mouans, Mouans-Sartoux. France.
‘Independence’. South London Gallery. June/August.
2004
‘3rd Berlin Biennial’. Martin Gropius Bau. Berlin.
‘L’Air dy Temps, Migros Museum, Zurich.
‘Streets’, Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam.
‘Engagierte Kunst 70/90’ ‘Neus museum’,Nürnberg,Germany.
‘Re:Location. 1-7 Shake’, Halle für Kunst Lüneburg, Germany.
‘Art & The 60’s. This Was Tomorrow’. Tate Gallery, London,
‘Art & The 60’s. This Was Tomorrow’. Birmingham City Art Museum.
‘La Collection Continue’ FRAC Corse, Centre Culturel Una Volta, Bastia. France.
‘Vanishing Points:Landscape Art Beyond The Horizon’.
Southampton City Art Gallery. March-May.
‘70/90. Engagierte Kunst’. Neuesmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany
2005
‘Faltering Flame’. Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield.
‘Kritische Gesellschaften’. Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany.
‘Borders Dialogues ’, Barents Art Triennial, Kirkenes, Norway.
‘Wie Gesellschaft und Politik Ins Bild Mommen’, Generalie Foundation, Wien, Austria.
2006
‘The Secret Public. The Last Days of the British Underground 1978-1988’. Kunstverein Munich. Germany.
‘Art Link’. Dötenborgs Konsthall, Götenborg, Sweden.
2007
‘What Does The Jellyfish Want?’. Museum Ludwig, Köln, Germany.
‘The Secret Public/ Last Days of the British Underground 1978-1988’. Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.
‘Centre of the Creative Universe. Liverpool and the Avant-Garde’.
Tate Liverpool, Liverpool.
‘Panic Attack/Art In The Punk Years’, Barbicain Art Gallery, London.
‘Art Link’, Göteborgs Konsthall, Göteborgs, Sweden.
‘Beyond The Wall’, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor, im Max Liebermamm Haus, Berlin.
2008
‘’Monde e Terra’, La collezione del FRAC Corsica,Museo d’Arte Provincia di Nuoro, Italy.
‘Volksgarten’, Die Politik der Zugehörigkeit’, Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria.
‘Be(com)ing Dutch’, Vanabbemusem, Eindhoven, Holland.
‘Oh Girl It’s A Boy!’, Kunsverein Munich, Munich.
‘Punk No One Is Innocent’, Kunsthalle Wien, Wien, Austria.
‘Manifesta 7’, Roveretor, Italy.
‘Soziale Diagramme. Planning Reconsidered’, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
‘Cold War Modern. Design from 1945 to 1980’. Victoria And Albert Museum, London.