Jeder Mensch ist ein Künstler

In thirteen chapters, the exhibition and the accompanying catalogue offer profound insight into the cosmopolitan thinking of Joseph Beuys, as manifested in his actions, which are presented in the form of video projections and photographs. For it is in this capacity—as an acting, speaking, and moving figure—that Beuys examined the central, radical idea of his expanded concept of art: "Every human being is an artist." The goal of his universalist approach was to renew society from the ground up. To this day, his influence can be felt in artistic and political discourses. In this exhibition, contemporary artists and representatives from various areas of society enter into a multilayered, transcultural dialogue with Beuys. From today’s perspective, they confirm, question, and expand upon his theses about the possibilities of a future conceived via art.  With B-Town Warriors, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Phyllida Barlow, Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, Fatou Bensouda, Huma Bhabha, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Angela Davis, Dusadee Huntrakul, Jes Fan, Charles Foster, Bill Gates, Núria Güell, Anna Halprin, Donna Haraway, Raphael Hillebrand, Jenny Holzer, Michel Houellebecq, Lazar Kunstmann | L’ux, Jeong Kwan, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Zoe Leonard, Goshka Macuga, Antanas Mockus, Baptiste Morizot, Bruce Nauman, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, Howey Ou, William Pope.L, Cia Rinne, Tejal Shah, Vandana Shiva, Santiago Sierra, Patti Smith, Edward Snowdon, Christopher D. Stone, Suzanne Lacy, The Otolith Group, Thich Nhat Hanh, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, et al. JOSEPH BEUYS (1921–1986) fundamentally changed the twentieth- century as a draftsman, sculptor, teacher, politician, activist, action, and installation artist. His 100th birthday in 2021 is an occasion to rediscover, appreciate, and critically question his complex body of work and his international influence.