- Contemporary artists inspired by Joseph Beuyrs explore
techno-shamanism in the art of the digital age - Accompanies an
exhibition at HMKV, Dortmund from 9 October 2021 to 6 March 2022 This
catalog for a show at HMKV Dortmund explores techno-shamanism in the
arts today, taking Joseph Beuys, who cultivated the figure of the shaman
throughout his career, as the starting point. In addition to viewing
shamanism itself as a form of technology, this artistic approach uses
(speculative) technology as a way of discovering shamanic powers.
Contemporary artists are updating Beuys's strategies and themes for the
digital age, deploying many of the same tropes. These acquired iconic
status in Beuys's oeuvre, and were aimed at healing and transforming
society, cultivating a spiritual approach to the environment, and
subverting power structures and the logic of capitalism. The positions
introduced here combine aspects that appear diametrically opposed:
technology and shamanism, technical progress and esotericism, rational
modernism and the mystical tradition. Today's artistic alchemists are
engaged in a quest for "rare-earth elements" and metals, a fusion of the
environment, technology, and artificial intelligence in order to create
a technical/mythological description of the cosmos. Included here are
works by: Morehshin Allahyari, Joseph Beuys, Mariechen Danz, Anja
Dornieden & Juan David González Monroy, Lucile Olympe Haute, knowbotiq,
Sahej Rahal, Tabita Rezaire, Jana Kerima Stolzer & Lex Rütten,
Transformella (aLifveForm fed and cared for by JP Raether), Suzanne
Treister, Anton Vidokle. Text in English and German.
