Christian Jankowski presents new work at Kunstmuseum Bonn for Joseph Beuys centenary exhibition

19 October 2021

At Kunstmuseum Bonn, a new exhibition 'Ticket to the Future: Joseph Beuys, Katinka Bock, Christian Jankowski, Jon Rafman' celebrates what would have been Joseph Beuys’ 100th birthday, focusing on the influential artist’s three main themes: Beuys as a draftsman, nature as a metaphor for social processes and Beuys’s theoretical reflections and actions. The themes each form the starting point for an interaction between Beuys and one of the contemporary artists involved.

Christian Jankowski presents a specially created video work, Social Plastic Surgery, in which collectors of Beuys’ multiples read excerpts of interviews conducted by Jankowski with plastic surgery patients. With the surgical procedure becoming a work of art, and Beuys taking the place of the surgeon, Jankwoski draws a connection between the possibilities of contemporary medicine and Beuys' belief in the power of art to change society, embodied by his multiples.

The exhibition also features a series of photographs by Jankowski depicting cosmetic surgeons recreating Beuys’ famous poses.

Find further information via Kunstmuseum Bonn.