From 1983 to 1990, Hoeck studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna under Ernst Caramelle and Oswald Oberhuber.[1] He received the MoMA PS1 Scholarship in New York City (1993–1994)[2] and the MAK Schindler Scholarship in Los Angeles (2001–2002).[3] In 2000, he was awarded the Blinky Palermo Scholarship by the Free State of Saxony and presented the exhibition The Additional Bedroom at the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst in Leipzig.[4]
Hoeck has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including shows at the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig (mumok) in Vienna,[5] the 3rd Istanbul Biennial,[6] the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo,[7] and the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston, Texas.[8]
In 2021, Hoeck contributed to the ORF/BR television film Der weiße Kobold, directed by Marvin Kren. Alongside artists Martin Grandits and Christian Anwander, he was commissioned to create original artworks for the production, which explores Vienna’s contemporary art scene in a comedic setting.[9]
Work
Hoeck’s conceptual practice spans installation, sculpture, performance, photography, and video. His work often operates at the intersection of stage design, socio-critical commentary, and the construction of alternative infrastructures.[10] His works are part of several public and private collections, including the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig (mumok) in Vienna and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[11] In his ongoing collaborations with American artist John Miller, Hoeck frequently uses mannequins to interrogate the concept of subjectivity. Positioned within staged environments derived from pop culture and digital spaces, these works explore perceptions of social conditions and visual iconography. The monograph More Alive Than Those Who Made Them (University of Chicago Press / WhiteWalls, 2015) documents this collaborative series.[10] In 2025, Hoeck’s 2015 video work Mannequin Death was featured in the exhibition Camera Obscura at Public Gallery, London, which explored the tension between bodily representation and surveillance aesthetics.[12] His recent collaboration with John Miller titled Last Words (2023–2024), exhibited at Magazin 4 in Bregenz, explores themes of entropy, mortality and dismemberment through the lens of film and sculptural installation. The project received critical attention in the Austrian art journal Kultur und Gesellschaft.[13] Hoeck's work was included in the exhibition *Ins dunkle schwimmen*, curated by the University of Applied Arts Vienna (2023). The group show focused on perception, hallucination, and inner images.[14][15] Hoeck’s contribution reflects his continued interest in “the intersection of physical presence and virtual absence” and connects bodily fragments to “processes of inner projection”.[15] Hoeck presented the performance Paris ReFake Sieben Säulen (2016) at Zier Haus, Vienna, as a conceptual response to Franz West’s original performance with Sieben Säulen from 1990. The reinterpretation was executed in the spirit of a “fake” and included references to Samuel Beckett and Constantin Brâncuși’s modular sculpture columns.[16] In the object-based work series Swarovski Brass Knuckles, Hoeck modified commercially available brass knuckles by setting them with Swarovski crystals, transforming them into display objects that juxtapose ornamental aesthetics with the form of a weapon. According to the artist, the crystals were provided by Swarovski CEO free of charge, Swarovski reportedly purchased several of the finished pieces afterwards.[17] A comprehensive portrait published in Spike Art Quarterly, analyzed Hoeck’s critical engagement with American popular myths. His videos and installations deconstruct stereotypical narratives while simultaneously reflecting on the desires of Western consumer societies. The article particularly emphasized his collaboration with John Miller and the ironic inversion of gender roles and representations.[18]
Installationsansicht der Ausstellung „Arch of Hysteria, Zwischen Wahnsinn und Ekstase“ von Richard Hoeck im Museum der Moderne Salzburg, 2023
Richard Hoeck's installation Arch of Hysteria was presented at the Museum der Moderne Salzburg in 2023. The exhibition explored themes of madness, ecstasy, and formal repetition in contemporary sculpture.
Below is a selection of further exhibitions:
Last Words (with John Miller), Magazin 4, Bregenz, Austria (2023/2024)[28]
Arch of Hysteria, Zwischen Wahnsinn und Ekstase, Museum der Moderne Salzburg (2023)[29]
Toxic (with John Miller & Peter Friedl), Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck, Austria (2023)[30]
Houston, Sie haben ein Problem! (with Paul Renner), Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, USA (2022)[31]
Autohaus St. Marx, Neuer Kunstverein Wien, Vienna (2021)[32]
↑ Katharina Pichler, “Don’t you know that you are toxic?”, in: *Kultur und Gesellschaft*, Universalmuseum Joanneum, December 2023 / January 2024, No. 10, 2023 Jahrgang 38, p. 58-60.
↑ “Ins dunkle schwimmen – Exhibition”, Kunstsammlung & Archiv, Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, online, abgerufen am 3. Juli 2025.
↑ Azmayesh, Azar (Spring 2005). "Der Bauchtänzerin / For the Belly Dancer: Richard Hoeck". Spike Art Quarterly (in German) (3). Sportmagazin Verlag GmbH: 72–78. ISSN1813-6281.
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