:! (!:
Beuys:
art fur a change I! t lr h.l .od onv$ mbrcod JosDh Bew! ls .! .rhodd
@fosdd ot Wsl G.m&J's cE. p.nr rd b.li.v. $r ts. virl roh h brio*b8 tborr oci.l.ttug.. A! .r bidotr ol i& dmwlnrs ud mr.r3qp.Fbr. lIc'3 .Lo .
I ;
t
ololr
b$ lst op.nd rr rh. Vt rodr rnd Alb.rt M$.rD. LYNN
MrcRn€flIE ini.odrs.
Dclrs: osht lb.
'Without be ts .lAeblt inuol'ed
thzprcbl.N olthe
i,
b paiati"g,'
whole vor!.l, it
inp6ible to nake a
th.ir Deuliar co$ciously r5
)w artisrs have us€.I
!@ial posilion
a,s
Joslr'h B.uys, Sine rhe 1960s. hG has csefully dploil.d thar out-
siddt
licence, oosr polerr of an srrisas privil.8.!. Hir cr.arive prol.cls. wheths by imDlicarion or
dirct rtat.eeDt,
argue
for th.
neessity for social change. Mlch dt of 1!e 196& and l9t0s
*6 abour polilics, qpecialy an wLich abo tri€d 10 brak down for dai boundan6. BuLwhileedly bqp-
mDhc6
tud hired nedE
evenir
ldo
irl
r.rnet
mDhaised individual fl4dom, by the mid-l970s artisls
\r.rc addr6e
ing spealic polirical qudtioos such asf.ni sm, th€ role oftb.51ar€ s.d @ononics. BeuyC early happenirgs ad la1€r pafodanB sse always followed
by di$usioF in wbich th€ lrtist would matc hinseu endc$ly availabL for qlstions ad arsu-
hdt. As prof.ssr ol $llptuc ar Duseldorl Academy, hc d€nlonstra&d his comnirmdt !o
f.@ edlcaiiotr*crcn rhln th. policc wde
oper
s
clN6,
bundreds
in
10
b.nk
qD his
wbich ha.l altraded
of $ud€nls- He won tbe
FroB hi5 leaching dperi€ncc and
fte dnecl respolse of lhose who .r ldded his pe.fo.doc6, the Fre Inlehalional Univesity was born in l9?1. An irineram insftuli.n sirh
h€adqur&s i! Du$eldorf. n continus 10 promote and deepen inreF nationai
di*usio, on art, politie
Beuys' lifeatory read! lil(e
leSerd. tnterest€d
a
itr dl f.on
childhood, his sludi€s q.re inleF ruded by woild War u. in which hc
Shot doqn over
fts Crind,
cravely vound.d and uscotrscious. h€ ws discover€d by a soup of nonads who sncaied his body in far and w.aDpcd il in felr, preseNins its body bea! and thus his life.
ftn
re$uc by rhe
for6
of ch&ce, nalu!€ and rhe nonadt
g
skiltul !r
or b6ic nalenals, becam.crucial rohksub*au.nLa *ork- Far ud fclt dweloped in1o
-
$sendal conponents of the rdge of €hnent-in oatural naterials and
I
proc.5s.s on whicn h. was to draw 6sair ed aSain in $ulpturc and p6-
The drawingr tu the
public prcsranme lhsr 1he Cr.ens' within th. reclpoltrit of Europ.
p.€ilrl q- fat.
hibition show $at dvcn bcfo!.
ahe
vu-lime 6dh, B€uys w6 lascinated by an
Pali@enl l€vel, coscious a hc itnnk ar evo. nore deqandins is
mbisuo$ ed uod4ided. oll, posibilitt if coniaE iato
'Thz
old.. ordd-rribal t@l @olutiotary
loyalder, th€ ddands of fl€s! and sphit.
Such th€n6 sed add to hav€ b@ slrangc lo Bcuys-a in his happy adoplio! ol thc s€U-profaed rols ol shmo, or Easician-bul
6
.liyiduals,
pow. is 6 in-
caiied
oJ seu dele.-
nhations l tettiitt.' Unable to fDd Beuys'
addts
otr mv
nap of Duseldorf! I ask€d lh. r€*ptionisi at ny small horel for
rether always availabL, *aiting
10 'Oh, you ar€ soing lo see Pro' r.captued in Dd.il dd itrk, like f$sor Bcuys!' she qclaieed. 'H€ is skctche h a mlure mlebook. Tl& a very busy nm, a vsy wondqful subjsrs ud sryle of hk drawiilss ne. Ile do6 a lo1 of sood.' hav€ barely chdged in 40 y.a6. Folowing a paih frob rh€ nolr Their function renaiB a private inr€lsely peBoDal dDdi€nce, nal(-
be
lcfersce, ! jou.lal of rh€ drisfs ing art {orlc, @nsciously Mal$itrs nosl bsic preoccuDslioG. rheir inplicatiotr6 ad foloeins
d that ke ditNion his liv! pqfomoces,
'h i. ar.und
h
ho*qe!,
Beuy6' sork ha3 changed dejsivdy. 1960s exD€rinatation {as foUow.d by pe.lornarces both
those idDli.ations rhrough, Beuys har noved from being a hlente.l if
mdidoml- $ulplor to be@ne figure ol local aff€ctior
ud
r
inrger-
n,rional eclaih. His insisree on d fte only qay deply p€rsonal and ops.lic in s.a1e lefiuslocxplorelhcpo$ibilities of a of prcselbdon and refercne. new tocial ordd'beforc it is too lale Now, this s.ad 'niddlc pcriod' h may san lllopian, bur hL s€nse of lhe prim&y ol ad
ovs. Tlr
post pcrfomalc! discusions havc dw.lopd lnto letqres
qhich havc lakes rh. pl.ce of oth.r live pe.fo.mde, although Bdys sril sculpts. Th€sc days lbough, rhe sculpture is [kely ro b€ the planting of a r!e-7100 @ts will be planted for B.urs' @nrributon to th. n€it 'Doclnenra' Snow ar Kascl,-or working wilh th. FrF ltrternalional Urivenhy otr racklins lhe horiric Dolurion of lhe river Elb€. Cclounder of lh€ Creen Pany. Belys is involv.d daily in politcal aclion and dncussion ar Federal
!\ri.hen
I look around, vhe! I se thre is no hope , . , I
rhe situadon,
don'r beliele in hope, I
se€
In his cffork to daelop f.o@ his dtwork a meihodolosy for poliral
&tio., B.uys has nad€ $e @rcepr of ff.aiivity eniral to poliii€' slru8sle. For lbis, h€ comnanrls r.spe1. As a soure of inspiralior, he
rdai6
inexhaustible.
Se visuol Ans Jot d?taib of thit
hibitbn.
crwLrMrrsJIJLY29
U6 4.
da rs3
11