Page 20 - The Venice Biennale 2001 issue of World of Art Magazine

joseph beuys

plaTeau of ManKind
by harald szeemann

The 49Th inTernaTional exhibiTion of arT opens iTs doors on june 10Th
o set theMe was aPPLied in choosing the aRtists; indeed, it is
49. biennale di Venezia
theiR woRK which decides the diMension of the eVent. so, afteR
n daPeRtutto we coMe to a PLateau of ManKind. the teRM “PLateau”
eVoKes VaRious associations: it couLd descRiBe uPLands; it Might suggest a
Base and foundation; it is aLso a Raised PLatfoRM. the BiennaLe of VisuaL
aRts, theRefoRe, hoPes to seRVe as a Raised PLatfoRM offeRing a View oVeR
ManKind. in the 1950s an exhiBition entitLed “the FAMily oF MAn” tRaVeLed
aRound the woRLd; and at the Beginning of this new MiLLenniuM ouR
titLe hoPes to suggest a LinK with that show. howeVeR, at PResent the
chances of aLL indiViduaLs actuaLLY foRMing one singLe faMiLY do not LooK
PaRticuLaRLY hoPefuL, in sPite of the faith PRofessed in gLoBaLization and
the fact that nuMeRous waLLs aRe Being - oR haVe Been - thRown down.
eVeRY daY we see ReLigious and ethnic diffeRences - oR eVen the BaLd desiRe
foR PoLiticaL suPReMacY - giVe Rise to new confLicts that can Lead to waR.
and in the Reaction at aRtists now one can see a cLeaR diffeRence to that
d
of ten YeaRs ago: theRe is no LongeR the intense affiRMation of one’s own
i
R
identitY, But RatheR an aPPeaL to what is eteRnaL within huManKind - an
aPPeaL that is onLY VaLid if it dRaws on what is LocaL and “Rooted”. at this
Point, the centuRY-oLd stRuggLe Between the aBstRact and the figuRatiVe
ect o
R
seeMs finaLLY to haVe BecoMe a PaRt of histoRY. the awaReness of sPace
and tiMe (and of how sPace can BecoMe tiMe) is now PaRt of a shaRed
heRitage, so Much so that soMe coMMitted aRtists haVe actuaLLY Been aBLe
to fRee theMseLVes fRoM the PoweR of autonoMY and indePendence, and
shift theiR woRK in the diRection of desiRes, BehaVioR and waYs of seeing
that aRe shaRed BY aLL huMan Beings as such - a PRocess which can Be
undeRstated oR tuRBuLent; can Be seen in teRMs of aesthetics oR as a waY
of La Bienna
of unMasKing the tRuth. this yeAr’s exhiBition AiMs For Precisely this concrete
L
exPerience oF FreedoM. it oPens with a KeY woRK BY joseph beuys, the end
oF the tWentieth century. it was BeuYs aBoVe aLL who was the indefatigaBLe
sPoKesMan foR the concePt of LiBeRtY, giVing it PLastic exPRession as a
fieLd of eneRgY: cAPitAl = creAtivity. he hoPed that with the end of the
oLd and Beginning of the new centuRY ouR waRMth wouLd Be enough to
geneRate Life in what was inoRganic. this is the Message conVeYed BY these
LuMPs of tufa a which Lie on the gRound LooKing it uP at us with staRing
e di Venezia
h
Round eYes, LiKe so ManY PRehistoRic fish that aRe waiting to Be set
fRee. aLongside BeuYs, VaRious otheR aRtists of the twentieth centuRY aRe
giVen the chance to offeR a concentRated account of theiR excePtionaL
contRiBution to aRt. theRe is cy TwoMbly, whose geneRous gestuRes
arald
RestoRe MYth to the ModeRn woRLd; richard serra, the cReatoR of a
s
new concePt of the MonuMentaL; niele Toroni, the chaMPion of Painting
zee
as tRace. then coMe a nuMBeR of those conteMPoRaRY aRtists who haVe
M
focused on the huMan figuRe - foR exaMPLe, ron MuecK - and VaRious
otheRs aRtists who aRe incLuded in the, stiLL PRoVisionaL, lisT of exhibiTing
ann
arTisTs.

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