Atelier Van Lieshout: The CryptoFuturist and The New Tribal Labyrinth at the Pioneer Works

Pioneer Works presents the largest-scale exhibition of work by Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL) in the United States. The centerpiece of The CryptoFuturist and The New Tribal Labyrinth is Blast Furnace (2013), a 40-foot-tall industrial structure resembling a steel maze of pipes, conveyor elevators, staircases and mezzanines. At the center of the work is a fictional narrative wherein a “New Tribe” of metal workers, inspired by a desire to the return to industry, take residence in the structure. This sets the stage for the synthesis of man and machine and refers to the replacement of heavy industry by an immaterial, information-led economy.