Assaf Gruber is a sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, and author living and working in Berlin. The dynamic relationship between individuals and institutions is at the center of his practice, which aims to explore both how the political orientation of legacy establishments impacts the lives of individuals and how these organizations choose to represent and communicate facts and their attendant artifacts. The absurd biographies of the protagonists in his projects simultaneously reveal and obscure the reasons and motives that lead people to obey or rebel against their inner world or the society in which they live. His photography, sculpture, and installations place the materiality of objects in relation to narrative dimensions, which in turn create fictional spaces where movement and non-movement function as a medium.

Gruber won the 2008 ‘Les amis des Beaux–arts’ Prize in Paris and is a Laureate of the HISK (Higher Institute of Fine Arts of Ghent). In 2011, he participated in the AIMS Residency in Saint-Ouen, a social project that aimed to connect children with contemporary art culture. His work is included in several collections in Europe and has been shown in numerous venues, including Gruber’s solo exhibitions at the Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (2018) and the Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź (2015). His films have been featured in festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam (2023) and FID Marseille (2022). He is currently one of the fellows of the Berlin Artistic Research Grant Programme 2022/23 (gkfd).

Photo credits: © Silke Briel / Berlin Artistic Research.