Joep van Lieshout has produced works in bright colored polyester since the 1980s, a material that has since become a trademark of his work. In 1995 he founded Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL), a workshop of more than 20, undermining the myth of the individual artistic genius. Atelier Van Lieshout has attained international recognition for objects that traverse the boundary between art, architecture and design. These works are often pragmatic, uncomplicated and intellectually substantial. Recurrent themes include autarchy, power, politics and the classical themes of life and death.