Joseph Kohlmaier

Joseph Kohlmaier is the founder of Musarc and has acted as its creative director since 2008. He was born in Vienna and lives in London and on the Isle of Wight. Joseph’s work is multifaceted and layered, situated at the intersection of different disciplines and activities that oscillate between solitary practice and collective performance. It is animated by the question of how we learn, how thought is related to symbolic form, the agony and potential of collective acts, the general ecology of the chorus, and marginalised ways of thinking such as the role of embodiment and felt sense in the production of knowledge.

Joseph has been a teacher for more than twenty years and is currently Associate Teaching Professor in history and theory at the School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University. He is the founder and creative director of several collectives, organisations and educational projects including Musarc (2009–present), Field Studies (2010–17, 2025–present), graphic design studio Polimekanos (with Stefan Kraus, 2000–2020), and independent imprint Cours de Poétique. It is through these frameworks that Joseph’s practice evolves and where it has had the greatest impact by creating spaces for people to experiment with new ideas. As a curator and producer, Joseph has commissioned and worked with emerging and established artists, and collaborated with leading arts organisations in the UK and Europe on projects that have transformed the landscape of education, contemporary music, and performance.

josephkohlmaier.org