“The Julia Stoschek Foundation in Düsseldorf, Germany is currently presenting Lynn Hershman Leeson: Are Our Eyes Targets?, the new media art pioneer’s first solo exhibition in the city. The centrepiece of the show is her magnum opus, The Electronic Diaries of Lynn Hershman Leeson 1984–2019 — which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024. Beyond this, the art exhibition features other video pieces, collage art, and interactive installation works, exploring Hershman Leeson’s groundbreaking practice at the intersection of art and technology in depth. The show extends from April 11, 2024 – February 2, 2025, and is curated by Lisa Long, artistic director of the Julia Stoschek Foundation. Long joins STIR in an interview to discuss Hershman Leeson’s work.
The American artist is an important name in new media art and video art in particular. Her Electronic Diaries, originally begun on a whim in 1984, is a deeply affecting work that grew in length and scope, and presents her as a complex individual experiencing the joys, sorrows, and challenges of life. Some may find Hershman Leeson’s raw honesty unpalatable, but as she points out in an early section of the work, the truth is often harder to digest than any fantasy. Long tells STIR, “The Electronic Diaries of Lynn Hershman Leeson 1984-2019 is one of the artist’s most important works, even if the series is technologically not her most advanced. What is so impressive about the series is that it tells the story of a simple power switch: a woman who picks up a camera and begins to speak about her life, confessing some of her innermost feelings and experiences. In doing so she regains control over her narrative and is able to emancipate herself from the preconceived notions others might have of her…”