the name joseph beuys is indelibly associated with an incident at the »festival of new art« on 20 july 1964 in the main lecture hall – the audimax – of the rwth technical university in aachen. a performance by beuys took a dramatic turn when an agitated student landed a punch on his nose, drawing blood, and the event was abruptly called to a halt. photographs taken that evening have become part of our collective memory, even if few people nowadays are fully aware of the circumstances.
the symposium to be held in aachen during »beuys 2021« will focus on the relationship between joseph beuys and the fluxus movement in the wake of that festival in aachen. participants will critically examine that situation over fifty years ago in light of its importance to art, politics and society today, with particular reference to works by contemporary artists. 
presented in cooperation with the chair of art history, this two-day symposium will welcome numerous expert speakers to the audimax (the original festival venue) and to the ludwig forum aachen.

curated by myriam kroll, annette lagler and Alexander Markschies