Joseph Beuys reconsidered
Author
Summary, in English
My research is about the possibility of understanding and interpreting artworks by Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) in a broader sense than is usually done before: I want to start with some actions, follow different action-tools from these, into the vitrines of the art museums.
In my performative analysis there are no fixed boundaries between Beuys himself as an actor in his actions, his artworks, that is tools used in his actions, the audience and the researcher. We know that he wanted to affect us, and to influence our five senses with his ”Eweiterten Kunstbegriff” and with his ”Sozialen Plastik”.
In my research I am focused on his use of his own coreographed body as a material of art together with fat and felt. I am also interested in his rôle as a man handling materials from the war and the army and I will try to analyse these as his opposition to Fascism. Curious enough this connection is often hidden or forgotten in the large corpus of research about Beuys’ art.
In my performative analysis there are no fixed boundaries between Beuys himself as an actor in his actions, his artworks, that is tools used in his actions, the audience and the researcher. We know that he wanted to affect us, and to influence our five senses with his ”Eweiterten Kunstbegriff” and with his ”Sozialen Plastik”.
In my research I am focused on his use of his own coreographed body as a material of art together with fat and felt. I am also interested in his rôle as a man handling materials from the war and the army and I will try to analyse these as his opposition to Fascism. Curious enough this connection is often hidden or forgotten in the large corpus of research about Beuys’ art.
Department/s
Publishing year
2008
Language
English
Document type
Conference paper
Topic
- Art History
Keywords
- Auschwitz
- Post-modernism
- redemption
- Joseph Beuys
Conference name
Interpretation reconsidered
Conference date
2008-05-15 - 2008-05-17
Status
Unpublished