In the depths of an exhibition hall, there sits a monstrous bathtub, its metal surface twisted into grotesque folds that evoke a sense of ancient horrors. This Bathtub, crafted from 1961 to 1985 and cast anew in 1987, embodies the darkest fears of modern history - a physical manifestation of humanity's darker impulses, with pipes and valves snaking out like tentacles, drawing you down into a sea of blackness.
At its heart lies an ivory mammoth tooth, supporting the entire structure with primordial power. Beuys' fascination with prehistory reaches a fever pitch in this piece, evoking a time when beasts roamed Germany before it even existed - a testament to his enduring quest for mythic meaning and purification through art. Like a dark sacrament, bathers would immerse themselves in the watery depths, cleansed of their modern demons by the ancient power of the mammoth tooth.
This work is an uncompromising vision of human existence, unflinching in its portrayal of our capacity for both beauty and atrocity. As you walk around the Bathtub, you can't escape the feeling that history itself is encroaching on your senses - the jagged pipes seem to reach out like the twisted machinery of Auschwitz, weighing down Beuys' utopian aspirations with every step.
And yet, despite this crushing weight of reality, Beuys remains an artist unafraid to conjure myths and legends from the ashes of history. In a show that celebrates his most Wagnerian tendencies, we're reminded of the profound influence he had on generations of German artists - Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer among them - who built upon his foundation of mythic storytelling and material poetry.
Bathtub is more than just an exhibition piece; it's an acid bath in history itself. A reminder that art can be both a source of solace and a confrontation with the darkest truths of our existence. It asks us to confront the depths of human depravity, while also inviting us to rediscover the lost poetry of material objects - a testament to Beuys' enduring legacy as an artist who saved his country's culture from the abyss.
At its heart lies an ivory mammoth tooth, supporting the entire structure with primordial power. Beuys' fascination with prehistory reaches a fever pitch in this piece, evoking a time when beasts roamed Germany before it even existed - a testament to his enduring quest for mythic meaning and purification through art. Like a dark sacrament, bathers would immerse themselves in the watery depths, cleansed of their modern demons by the ancient power of the mammoth tooth.
This work is an uncompromising vision of human existence, unflinching in its portrayal of our capacity for both beauty and atrocity. As you walk around the Bathtub, you can't escape the feeling that history itself is encroaching on your senses - the jagged pipes seem to reach out like the twisted machinery of Auschwitz, weighing down Beuys' utopian aspirations with every step.
And yet, despite this crushing weight of reality, Beuys remains an artist unafraid to conjure myths and legends from the ashes of history. In a show that celebrates his most Wagnerian tendencies, we're reminded of the profound influence he had on generations of German artists - Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer among them - who built upon his foundation of mythic storytelling and material poetry.
Bathtub is more than just an exhibition piece; it's an acid bath in history itself. A reminder that art can be both a source of solace and a confrontation with the darkest truths of our existence. It asks us to confront the depths of human depravity, while also inviting us to rediscover the lost poetry of material objects - a testament to Beuys' enduring legacy as an artist who saved his country's culture from the abyss.
. I mean, on one hand, it's like he's trying to summon some sort of primal power from the depths of history, and in a weird way, it kinda works? But at the same time, those pipes do seem super menacing and it's like he's forcing us to confront all these dark truths about humanity... it's heavy, you know? 
. I guess what really gets me is how Beuys uses this ancient mammoth tooth as a sort of anchor for the whole piece - it's like he's trying to hold onto something bigger than ourselves, but also acknowledging that we're all just messed up in our own ways 
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And the pipes and valves snaking around like tentacles just adds to the whole unsettling vibe... but what really gets me is how it's all tied together with this mammoth tooth at the center 
. It's like Beuys is trying to tell us something about human nature and our capacity for both good and evil, and I think that's what makes this piece so masterful 
Anyway, I think what really gets me is how unsettling yet thought-provoking it is. Like, you can't help but think about the dark history behind this thing and how it's all connected to Auschwitz... *sigh* But at the same time, there's something mesmerizing about it that draws you in, like a train wreck you just can't look away from 
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. And yeah, the pipes do look a bit like Auschwitz... that's heavy stuff to deal with, but at least it's makin' us think about our own capacity for both good and bad 
. I feel like this exhibit is trying to remind us that we can't escape our past, but at the same time, art can be this powerful tool for healing and reflection. It's all so... Beuys 