David Helbich BE/DE

David Helbich (1973; Berlin) has lived and worked in Brussels, Belgium, since 2002. He studied composition and philosophy in Amsterdam and Freiburg. He works as a sound and performance artist, as a visual and conceptual artist, as well as a conceptual photographer, composer, curator and teacher. He has created experimental works for the stage, for print and online media and for public space, like for example in artist books, illustrated scores and photo books, as well as live performances and concerts, sound interventions, audio guides and on social media.

His trajectory moves between representational and interactive works, closed pieces and open interventions, between conceptual gestures and actions. Many of his works and performances thematise concrete physical and social experiences. Here he tries to understand the audience as active individuals and seeks to expand contextually limited spaces. A recurring technique is that of self-performance, whereby the audience takes on the roles of both performer and addressee.

In addition to numerous lectures, workshops and performances, Helbich's work has been exhibited and presented internationally, including at the Queens Museum (NYC), D Museum (Daelim Museum, Seoul), Kanal - Centre Pompidou (Brussels), Martin-Gropius-Bau (Berlin), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Oude Kerk (Amsterdam), Philharmonie Luxembourg, UnionDocs (New York) and Café OTO (London). He has been commissioned by festivals such as Rainy Days in Philharmonie Luxembourg, Still Walking in Birmingham, Festival van Vlaanderen in Kortrijk, SPOR in Aarhus, Skanu Meg Festival in Riga, Borealis and Lydgalleriet in Bergen, Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, Ultima in Oslo,…

Helbich's curatorial and editorial projects include a.o. the online platform 1000 Scores. Pieces for Here, Now & Later that he founded in 2020 together with Helgard Haug and Cornelius Puschke.