Art on Film, Day 1

6:00 PM: I like America and America likes me

From May 23 to 25, 1974, the action “I Like America and America Likes Me” took place at the René Block Gallery in New York, which is documented in this film. On his arrival at John F. Kennedy Airport, Joseph Beuys is immediately wrapped in a felt cloth and driven to the gallery in an ambulance. A coyote awaits him there in a room cordoned off by bars. Beuys will live with him for several days and nights, observable by the audience at all times through the bars. In addition to the felt blanket, his props include a walking stick, a triangle, a flashlight, gloves and 50 copies of the “Wall Street Journal” every day. After the action, Beuys is transported back to the airport in the same way as he arrived.Germany 1974, color and b/w, 37 min.Director: Helmut Wietz

7:00 PM: Beuys

Thirty years after his death, Joseph Beuys still feels like a visionary and is widely considered one of the most influential artists of his generation. Known for his contributions to the Fluxus movement and his work across diverse media — from happening and performance to sculpture, installation, and graphic art — Beuys’ expanded concept of the role of the artist places him in the middle of socially relevant discourses on media, community, and capitalism. Using previously untapped visual and audio sources, director Andres Veiel has created a one-of-a-kind chronicle: Beuys is not a portrait in the traditional sense, but an intimate and in-depth look at a human being, his art and ideas, and the way they have impacted the world.Winner of the 2018 German Film Award for Best DocumentaryGermany 2017, 1‘47”.Director: Andres Veiel

Co-presented with the Boston Public Art Triennial.

Language: German and English with English subtitles

More Information: Film: Art on Film - Goethe-Institut USA

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