Joseph Beuys
gulo borealis

In a drawer lies a white sheet of A4-sized paper on which Joseph Beuys has handwritten the words gulo borealis in ink between two double spirals. Beuys’ son Wenzel wrote the words underneath in pencil. The sheet is signed on the reverse by Joseph Beuys and Wenzel Beuys. On some sheets there are corresponding attempts at writing by his somewhat younger sister Jessyka. In formal terms, Beuys’ contribution to En Bloc (EB20) is the only one of the nineteen editions to fulfill the actual function of a rolling cabinet, a piece of furniture for filing papers that could be found in every office at the time. In the same year, Beuys had written the term Gulo borealis – the scientific name for the northern wolverine – in brown paint on a concert grand piano in preparation for the action Ich versuche dich freizulassen (machen) (I’m trying to set you free), which was planned together with Henning Christiansen. Beuys also prepared the grand piano for the first exhibition in the Blockade ’69 exhibition series at Galerie René Block, which began the next day, creating the work Konzertflügeljom (Bereichjom) (1969).
Text: Katrin Seemann