MONOCULTURE | A Recent History

Within the practice of Joseph Beuys – a key figure of the Post-War avant-garde – Eurasia has a central place as a complex anthropological and philosophical concept. Describing himself as a Eurasian, Beuys used the term to problematise the artificial separation between ‘East’ and ‘West’. He wanted to unite the ideologically divided Europe and at the same time re-link what he perceived as Asian intuition and spirituality with European realism and rationality. Eurasia for Beuys is an open space without physical or ideological boundaries, rather it was about freedom and creativity. His interest in Eurasia was also a way for Beuys to look away from America as a dominant force of modernity and hegemony.

His Samurai-Schwert (Samurai Sword) consists of a length of steel wrapped in felt. This contrast in materials is typical of Beuys, bringing together hard and soft into union, as a way to talk about reconciliation of cultures. The Samurai sword was a recurring motif for Beuys as a symbol of Eurasia unity. The sword sometimes took the form of a blood sausage, melding an Asian weapon with a European food item. Beuys had in fact planned to place a samurai sword sausage monument on the coast of Ostend, selecting this location at the opposite pole of Eurasia to Japan, that also evokes the Second World War, seeking to heal wounds.