David Lieske -- New Work
February 1, 2008 - April 5, 2008

Foreword

The idea that it should be possible to harvest large technical forces and profits for all humankind from the Mediterranean Sea came to me spontaneously while looking at a map of the region, when I compared the surprisingly low number of tributaries (Nile, Po, Ebro, etc.) with the one million square miles of evaporation surface area of the Mediterranean. This idea to extract from this situation enormous water powers, electricity and at the same time to reclaim virgin land through a lowering of the sea level, was a Christmas present in 1927. It immediately captured and preoccupied me so much, that I was able to publish the groundwork of today’s ‘Panropaprojects’ by March of 1928. The natural topographical and maritime conditions proved to be favorable. The technical feasibility of its realization gained cogency through the contributions of many experts. However, what really became the most important and meaningful part of this project and which galvanized me to continue was the following thought: Europe, after the World War, a large open wound, can only be saved from downfall via a rapid economic unification. ‘Paneuropa’ will not materialize by good will and rationality alone. If on the other hand, particularly outstanding materialistic and ideational advantages were to entice nations to cooperate, wouldn’t such a vision accelerate the inevitable coalition of all forces? Moreover, wouldn’t the coalition of all forces benefit all Western countries, facilitate the unification of the industrially oversaturated Europe with Africa, rich in raw materials, and introduce a new culture altogether? How all this could be implemented, I don’t want to reveal here; the following novel will tell.

Herman Sörgel
Munich, October 1930

David Lieske (born 1979, Hamburg) lives and works in Berlin. He has participated in group exhibitions at Witte de With, Rotterdam; Metro Pictures, New York; Hamburger Kunstverein, Hamburg; and Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York. He has had solo exhibitions with Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne; Standard Gallery, Oslo; and Rowley Kennerk Gallery, Chicago. 

  David Lieske, Herman Sörgel, Midway Comtemporary, Minneapolis

  http://www.midwayart.org/exhibitions/08_01_david_lieske/