Coining the phrase “I am a sender. I transmit”, Joseph Beuys manifested his artistic identity as a messenger. With this statement, he was referring to a particular strain of his oeuvre: the so-called multiples – a variety of objects that Beuys produced in editions in close collaboration with his art dealers. At first glance, the multiples seem familiar. They are often made from everyday materials, which Beuys reassembled into new structures of meaning, to provoke cognitive engagement. Beuys found visual, intellectual and emotional enticement to be the multiples’ key function, which is why he referred to them as “antennas” and “vehicles”.
In 2021, one hundred years after Joseph Beuys’ birth, the exhibition of multiples in various places takes up the concept of antennas anew: Today, “I transmit” is told from the objects’ perspective.

Supported by

 

We are grateful to all involved at the various exhibition sites

Center for Advanced Studies (CAS)
Lena Bouman, Andrea Cors, Annette Meyer, Julia Schreiner
gate – Garchinger Technologie- und Gründerzentrum
Christian Heckemann, Lisa Hyna, Artem Kuchukov
Haus der Kulturen und Religionen
Gönül Yerli, Markus Rhinow, Martin Rötting
Justizpalast, Weiße Rose Saal
Tobias Rottmeir, Anna Sander, Alexander von Hornstein
Munich Re
Susanne Ehrenfried-Bergmann, Eva Fritz
Stiftung Kick ins Leben
Christine Richter, Günther Lamperstorfer, Anna Arndt
Theatiner Filmtheater
Marlies Kirchner, Bastian Hauser, Claire Schleeger