黑料不打烊

Beneath the umbrella of the Getty’s landmark recurring arts event, PST ART, which has a theme of Art & Science Collide this year, is further specified sub-themes that categorize events with a shared focus. Of the “environmental” exhibitions, many are participants in the PST ART Climate Impact Program, designated on websites and catalog materials with a simple Green Sundial symbol. In alignment with this year’s general theme, the Climate Impact Program is defined as “a groundbreaking integration of climate action, community building, and data reporting,” which provides participating organizations with educational resources and other frameworks in the hopes of creating a “climate fluency” for those in the Southern California arts and culture sector. A major component of this program is the Climate Impact Reports (CIRs), which most partner organizations, particularly ones featuring environmental exhibitions, have agreed to be a part of – highlighting five impact areas: engagement, emissions, waste, workers, and community. The program’s motivation is fueled by some astonishing figures shared with the public. Research completed by Environment & Culture Partners (ECPRS) last summer in their “Culture Over Carbon” report found that art museums have the highest medium Energy Use Intensity among cultural institutions – that means the impact of housing art typically surpasses the energy usage of institutions that are sustaining the life of other beings, like zoos, aquariums, and science museums. In recent years, other organizations have estimated and agreed that global art world emissions clock in at roughly 70 million tons of CO2 per year. If the art world were a country, it would be approximately 47^th out of 200-some countries ranked by annual emissions. While the program accurately poses this as a year-round issue that all participating artists and institutions are addressing in their own way, nothing comes close to how The Broad addresses those impact areas through the work of Joseph Beuys.

Joseph Beuys exhibition view, Front: Schlitten (Sled), 1969, wooden sled, felt, flashlight, fat, rope, stamped with oil paint (Browncross); Back: Filzanzug (Felt Suit) multiples, 1970, felt on wooden and metal hanger, 1970. Photo courtesy of Maya Garabedian.

Joseph Beuys: In Defense of Nature is a show I’ve been looking forward to since its announcement. On view at The Broad in Los Angeles from mid-November through late March, the exhibition is free (just as Beuys would’ve wanted) and features over 400 artworks across mediums, offering critical insight into his approach to his sociopolitical commentary and activism, as well as his direct environmental impact. Highlighted with a secondary “happening” of sorts, to borrow a term for performance from the famed Fluxus artist, Social Forest: Oaks of Tavaangar will be an offsite public reforestation project inspired by his work. The exhibition begins with the presentation of “multiples,” which, in its simplest definition, is when an artwork is copied. Initially hesitant to join in the practice of reproduction, a skeptic due to his distaste for commercialism in general, a young dealer by the name of René Block managed to convince him through an approach appealing to his personal beliefs: making multiples of the same work meant more people of different economic classes to engage with his work and ideas. This meant something to Beuys, and with the new view of reproductions as “vehicles of communication,” he quickly became the prolific maker of multiples in his time, from felt suits to postcards.

Vehicles of Communication exhibition section. Photo courtesy of Maya Garabedian.

Having seen extreme inequality and destruction in his early life, Beuys was passionate about societal change. As a German born in 1921, Beuys came of age that was futile and toxic in more ways than one. Raised in an industrial town close to the Netherlands border, he watched the Rhine become dangerously polluted – later influencing his work, Rhine Water Polluted (1981). His youth was robbed by fascism and the expectation to fight in World War II, where he was wounded in action several times, including during his famous Crimea plane crash – this served as a mythological origin story for his artistic practice, which commonly used felt and fat as unconventional mediums, the same materials he alleged were used by Tartar nomads to save his life. During his various deployments and the three months he spent in a British internment camp, he drew as much as he could – a lonely period that likely contributed to his interdisciplinary approach to sculpture. Beuys, who had started his education in medicine while surprisingly working part-time with animals at a circus, returned to Germany with new goals. He began studying sculpture at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, and when Ewald Mataré rejoined the faculty after being banned by the Nazis, he accepted Beuys into his class. Beuys was fascinated by the anthroposophical atmosphere and began studying the relationship between art and other fields, namely philosophy, which helped from his worldview, and science, reaffirming his love of nature and wildlife.

Joseph Beuys, , 1981, bottle containing green-dyed Rhine water, paper label, screwcap with oil paint (Browncross). Courtesy of The Broad (left) 7000 Oaks exhibition section. Photo courtesy of Maya Garabedian (right)

While Beuys has made countless incredible contributions to the art world, he is often best known for his belief that “everyone is an artist.” Out of context, which, ironically, is the typical context for this quote, is seldom understood for its true meaning. This belief derives from his theory of social sculpture, which asserts that everything is art, so every aspect of life can be approached creatively, and therefore, everyone has the potential to shape the world and transform its conditions. These sentiments are evident in footage on loop at The Broad, Ausfegen (Sweeping Up), 1972, where Beuys speaks his mind while cleaning up trash with two students after a protest in Karl-Marx-Platz, criticizing the disregard for city workers. Beuys didn’t see his political activism and art “actions,” his word for sociopolitical performances of the everyday, as separate things. He saw the trash bags they collected as multiples and spread out their sweepings in the René Block Gallery. As one of the first members of Germany’s Green Party, he saw human creativity as a powerful force that could direct democracy and affect revolutionary change. He harnessed this power during his creative fundraising efforts that successfully financed his project, 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks), 1982, where 7,000 trees were planted in the city of Kassel over five years, each accompanied by a basalt stone from a large pile. Beyond the ecological benefit, this action forced the community to confront the necessity of rebuilding after World War II and the importance of doing so collectively.

Joseph Beuys in Ausfegen (Sweeping Up), Left: Performance Video, 1972, video, color, sound; Right: Silberbesen und Besen ohne Haare (Silver Broom and Broom without Bristles), 1972, broom with wood and horsehair encased in 1mm silver sheet; solid copper, felt. Photo courtesy of Maya Garabedian.

Another famous Beuys quote comes from his 7000 Eichen project – “never stop planting” – and has inspired similar projects worldwide. The latest variation is Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar, which will take place in East LA at Elysian Park in partnership with a community-based non-profit called North East Trees. As a title, the first half, Social Forest, signifies the dual need for communal reforestation: (1) Trees absorb a significant amount of CO2, mitigating climate change; (2) LA has done little to recognize the destruction caused by English-speaking colonizers in the area. The second half, Oaks of Tovaangar, is named using the native Tongva Gabrielino language spoken by the Los Angeles Basin Indigenous people, honoring their resistance and celebrating their prosperity. At Kuruvungna Springs, a sacred Tongva site in West LA, five additional trees will be planted in support of the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation. A public event will take place at Elysian Park on February 8, 2025, using acorns collected from the park during events related to the project. People who have visited the In Defense of Nature show are also encouraged to plant the postcards offered at the exit – just beyond the wall of Beuys own postcard multiples, these cards are made with wildflower seeds and can be planted directly in the ground. They are a nice full-circle moment for the show and an embodiment of Beuys’s ideology, a creative invitation to direct a meaningful action.

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