10-day workshop for artists
Social Sculptures 
Beuys100

Mon, 19.04.2021 -
Thu, 29.04.2021
10:00 AM - 17:00 Goethe-Institut Nicosia

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Joseph Beuys, the Goethe-Institut Zypern announces a Call for Artists for Social Sculptures, a series of events curated by Marina Christodoulidou. The series includes a workshop and an exhibition as well as film screenings held at Goethe-Institut Zypern between April and October 2021.

Social Sculptures will unfold with a ten-day workshop facilitated by cultural practitioners and artists whose practices are inspired by and draw from Joseph Beuys' social-sculpture projects. The workshop will run from 19 to 29 April 2021 and will be focusing focuses on the concept of social sculpture, which Beuys developed in the early 1970s. His impactful term is centred on the belief that art could include the entire process of living — thoughts, actions, conversation, and objects — and could be enacted collectively by a wide range of people beyond artists.

The workshop scope is two-fold; it will provide both theoretical insights and practical exercises. The latter will involve various kinds of practical sessions, including elaboration processes in drawing, sound making, sculpting, and acting, all with the aim of facilitating artists to extend their artistic practice. Both theory and practice will focus on the participants' practices, while their own references and experiences will inform the workshop.

The following cultural practitioners will facilitate workshops or hold talks: Rhea Thönges-Stringaris, Horst Weierstall, Dimitris Chimonas, Nurtane Karagil, Lito Kattou, Melina Philippou, Social Club (Stavroulla Kyriakidou, Panayiotis Soteriou, Andriana Lagoudes , Nandia Dedeletakis, Nico Stephou, Ioulita Toumazi) and Lower Levant Company (Emiddio Vasquez, Peter Eramian).

About Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was a German Fluxus, happening, and performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist, and pedagogue. His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social sculpture as a Gesamtkunstwerk, for which he claimed a creative, participatory role in shaping society and politics. His career was characterized by open public debates on a very wide range of subjects including political, environmental, social and long-term cultural trends.

Participants have been selected through an open call. Participation is free of charge and each participant will receive an allowance of Euro 150 for the duration of the workshop. All participants will be given a participation confirmation letter from Goethe-Institut Zypern. The participants will be required to provide a negative rapid antigen test taken the day prior to the first meeting and repeated seven days later. All precautionary and hygiene measures will be observed during the workshop.