17 Jan 2013

New publication EUROPEAN FLUXUS FESTIVALS 1962-1977 'The lunatics are on the loose ...'

New release 'The lunatics are on the loose …' EUROPEAN FLUXUS FESTIVALS 1962-1977

Publication in English on the occasion of the exhibition 'The lunatics are on the loose …' EUROPEAN FLUXUS FESTIVALS 1962-1977

Extensive documentation of 32 selected European Fluxus events in Aachen, Aberystwyth, Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, London, Madrid, Nizza, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Poznan, Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Stockholm, Vilnius, Wiesbaden, Wuppertal.

Contributions by Jennifer Burkard, Myriam Kroll, Peter van der Meijden, Susanne Rennert, Henar Rivière Ríos, Heike Roms, Vanja Sisek, Petra Stegmann, Caroline Ugelstad.
Artistic contributions by Eric Andersen, Philip Corner, Alison Knowles, Jarosław Kozłowski, Larry Miller, Ann Noël, Ben Patterson, Tamas St.Turba.
Ed. by Petra Stegmann, DOWN WITH ART!, Potsdam
592 pages, handbound, numerous photographs, 42 € plus postage
The book can be ordered through ego@inarcadia.de

The publication accompanies the exhibition „The lunatics are on the loose ...' EUROPEAN FLUXUS FESTIVALS 1962–1977 that has been on show in Berlin (Akademie der Künste), Copenhagen (Nikolaj Kunsthal) and Poznan (University of Arts) and is currently shown in Kraków, Paris, Stuttgart and Vilnius.

The exhibition and publication aim to present a new perspective on the radical art actions of Fluxus. A multimedia exhibition installation documents the Fluxus events of the 1960s and 70s and offers active encounters with art actions, artists and eyewitnesses.

Since 1962 a series of European cities witnessed Fluxus events. This loose formation of artists became known for shaving their heads on the stage, 'working with butter and eggs for a while,' dismantling a piano and blowing up lettuce. The audience and media were outraged: 'Music with eggs,' 'They hang up cabbage and say it's art,' 'Newest Music in Madhouse-Style' – Eric Andersen, George Brecht, Philip Corner, Dick Higgins, Alison Knowles, George Maciunas, Nam June Paik, Ben Patterson, Mieko Shiomi, Ben Vautier, Emmett Williams and many others set their goal to break down the boundaries of art and overcome the bourgeois notion of art.
While the artists who remain active still work today on furthering and forming Fluxus ideas and actions, an ever growing number of art historians/curators are researching and presenting the history of Fluxus in all its variety. Nevertheless, the knowledge on the European Fluxus festivals has still been rudimentary. Therefore, it was high time to bring together research results in an international project, make previously undiscovered material accessible and most of all, draw attention to the artists' and eyewitnesses' perspectives. The exhibition is meant as a first step towards processing the historic Fluxus events in Europe.

Curators:
Petra Stegmann
with Peter van der Meijden, Henar Rivière Ríos, Heike Roms, Caroline Ugelstad

Funding/Support:
Hauptstadtkulturfonds Berlin
Danish Arts Council Committee for Visual Arts
Spanish Embassy in Berlin
Goethe Institute
Royal Norwegian Embassy in Berlin
APS 2.0

The exhibition is currently on show in:
Kraków – MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków, 19 October 2012 - 27 January 2013
Stuttgart - Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, 1 December 2012 - 28 April 2013
Paris – Goethe-Institut, 6 December 2012 - 10 January 2013
Vilnius – CAC Contemporary Art Centre, 15 December 2012 - 20 January 2013


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