Inhabited Myths. Joseph Beuys

The life and work of Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) are strongly influenced by his personal experience of World War II. In the role of the artist-shaman, he not only radically expanded the concept of art into a socio-theoretical framework in the post-war period. Like a therapist, he also sought to provoke forgotten modes of perception and sensation through his works and actions, creating awareness of a cosmic interconnectedness. As early as the 1960s, Beuys called for a new empathy towards the animal and plant world in his Energy Plan. Through drawings, sculptures, multiples, and actions, he drew attention to the disenchanted relationships with the energies of the Earth, with animals, and not least with the spiritual forces. His extensive oeuvre is shaped not only by Christian, shamanistic, and alchemical traditions but also by mythological traditions and local customs. The exhibition "Inhabited Myths" showcases for the first time, with a focus on his extensive graphic work, how Beuys productively engaged pre-Christian traditions, folk magic, and folk healing within the framework of his individual mythology for the present.