Homage to Joseph Beuys.
During a walk in the streets of Beuys’ city Düsseldorf, I photographed a piece of rubbish sitting on the asphalt. Later I anthropomorphised and animated it, using charcoal drawing. It changed into a spontaneously created microcosm.
Transforming the waste by using associative drawing, I want to make it clear that humanity is destroying its environment. It possesses, however, also a strong creative power, which it can use to improve the world and shape the future. To quote Joseph Beuys: “The only revolutionary force is the force of human creativity.”
The title of my video refers to Beuys‘ famous saying: “I think with my knee anyway.” He meant that rational thinking is unable to meet up with the complexity of artistic thought. That’s why good artists use to think crosswise and around corners. In other words with the knee.
title: Thinking with my Knee
technique: Digital and analogue animation with photo and charcoal drawing
length: 1’43”
year: 2021
© Maria Korporal 2021
Stills from the video:
Screenings and presentations:
• November 15, 2024 – January 12, 2025: Lines Fiction 2024, Kunstraum Kreuzberg – Bethanien, Berlin.
• October 26, 2023: Pinus Sessions, São Paulo, Brazil.
• May 4-10, 2023: ANIMATIBA – Curitiba International Animation Festival, Curitiba, Brasil.
• January 13 – February 11, 2023: No Future on Mondays, SCOTTY, Berlin.
• November 23-27, 2022: Anilogue International Animation Festival, Budapest, Hungary.
• October 14, 2022 – January 16, 2023: Onda Mediale 2022, Art Web Gallery.
• June 18 – August 24, 2022: Lines Fiction, Galerie im Körnerpark, Berlin.
• April 29 – May 22, 2022: UPDATE 22, Galerie VBK Berlin. Video and drawing.
• April 28-29, 2022: Screening Official Selection Videograma, Teatro del Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, Colombia.
• April 23, 2022: Presentation of the book Paisajes artificiales, Galería Santa Fe, Bogotá, Colombia.
• February 2022: The video is now part of the video art collection of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá.
• February 17 – April 30, 2022: SOMOS+, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá, Colombia. Presentation of new works in the museum’s collection, including “Thinking with my Knee”.
• 2022: The Climate Change Memorial, curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne, online and several physical venues.
• October 29, 2021: Videograma, Festival Internacional de Videoarte, Bogotà, Colombia.
• July 1-4, 2021: Fest Anča International Animation Festival 2021, Official Selection, Nová synagóga Žilina, Slovakia.
• March 26 – June 4, 2021: Beuys for Future, GG3 / Group Global 3000, Berlin. Read the Press release by Dr. Ralf Weiß.
