Exactly 40 years ago, at the Documenta 7 in Kassel, Joseph Beuys began his campaign “7000 oaks / urban forestation instead of city administration” by planting a tree on Friedrichsplatz and placing a basalt stele next to it. This was the prelude to one of the most spectacular, visionary and at the same time most enduring actions by this artist. It was not until five years later, when Beuys had died in the meantime, that the last of the 7000 oak trees complete with basalt stone were planted on the occasion of Documenta 8 and the project was thus completed.
On the occasion of Beuys’ 100th birthday in 2021, the art collector Heiner Friedrich launched the “Oak planting in honor of Joseph Beuys” series: 64 trees are to be planted throughout Bavaria, one for each year of Beuys’ life. On the initiative of the Meta Theater and in cooperation with Friedrich’s foundation “The Maximum”, the municipality of Moosach will now also plant an oak tree and set up a basalt stele at a place of cultural and social encounter, the old train station. The campaign will take place as part of a village festival on Friday, October 28 at 3 p.m. Everyone is cordially invited, the village shop will take care of the catering.
Wolfger Pöhlmann and Axel Tangerding from the Meta Theater also managed to win over Johannes Stüttgen, Joseph Beuys’ longtime assistant and companion, for the event. Stüttgen can “bring us closer to Beuys, his thoughts and the topicality of his art and reform efforts like no other and answer all our questions”.
On Saturday, October 29, at 7 p.m., Johannes Stüttgen will speak in the Meta Theater about “what’s special about Beuys’ action – compared to the theater”. Admission is free, donations are requested