Hans Haacke was born in Cologne in 1936, and lives and works in New York. His early conceptual work led him to practice a form of ‘institutional critique’, in which he highlights the socio-political interdependencies of the art market system. Although the forms and artistic codes he uses are extremely different for each of his works, the artist consistently addresses threatening and illegal realities, and denounces the collusion between the worlds of business, politics, art and culture. Through his work - which is akin to investigative journalism - Hans Haacke heightens the vigilance of the public-citizen.