Aside from the Hamburger Bahnhof being an example of a beautifully repurposed building, the Beuys and Kiefer permanent pieces alone are reason enough to visit Berlin’s ex railway station, now Museum for Contemporary Art.
It seems only sensible to discuss these two artists in juxtaposition, which sadly is not how their pieces are currently displayed at the Hamburger Bahnhof. Kiefer’s deeply serious work concludes the Marx collection, following the colourful Lichtensteins and Warhols, whilst Beuys' pieces are in solitude in the opposite wing.
It seems sensible- most notably- because both artists explore similar themes of history and the future. Specifically, their work shares a mutual concern of trauma in the wake of the Second World War, which in the case of Beuys was a personal trauma and for Kiefer is the importance of collective responsibility.
Kiefer’s success can be attributed to his dealing with what, in Germany, had been unapproachable before: a looking at the recent past and an accepting of the facts with an attempt to express a response where before there had only been avoidance and denial. He wrote, “Germans want to forget [the past] and start a new thing all the time, but only by going into the past can you go into the future". Beuys also saw the potential healing power of art. "Art is," he said, "a genuinely human medium for revolutionary change in the sense of completing the transformation from a sick world to a healthy one."
However, it is not because of this shared discussion of trauma, nor because they were teacher and pupil in the 70s and may have influenced one another- Beuys more likely so on Kiefer than the other way around- that it is disappointing to not see the two artist’s work side by side. The reason is aesthetic. It is the language of material, which plays an essential role in both Beuys' and Kiefer’s work, and which, in my opinion, is the most interesting point of comparison between the two artists.
Kiefer’s work is dense with esoteric symbolism, political meaning, nostaligia and, with his more recent work, mythological references. This is reflected through and accentuated by the multi-layered nature of his pieces and the highly symbolic materials used; such as lead, concrete, clay, glass, dried plants, glass, barbed wire and other heterogeneous materials. For example, Kiefer’s recurring use of lead, both as colour and material, is a deliberate choice as it immediately alludes to bullets and warfare, as well as having close ties to alchemy. As he himself put it, “For me, lead is a very important material. It is, of course, a symbolic material, but also the colour is very important. You cannot say it is light or dark. It is a colour or non-colour that I identify with. I don’t believe in absolutes. The truth is always grey”.
The Hamburger Bahnhof houses two of Kiefer’s monumental canvases and a large plane sculpture, titled “Mohn und Gedächtnis”, which means “Poppy Seeds and Remembrance”, a reference to a poem by Paul Celan. The plane, built from lead with oversized books balanced on its wings and poppy seeds inside the wings, screams German supremacy in times of war. One of the canvases supports a huge, heavy sheet of lead, whilst the second consists of a vast, crusty, multi-layered, muted-toned relief-like surface; both crossing the boundary between painting and sculpture. The effect is synesthetic. If you could step into his work, which a lot of his gigantic paintings make you feel as though you are doing, there would be a smell and a sound. He does not limit himself by only stimulating you visually.
Similarly, Beuys’ choice in material, though unconventional, is not random. Those who know Joseph Beuys often think of two things when they hear his name: fat and felt. The story of his plane crash during the Second World War can serve as an explanation: “I remember voices saying ‘Voda’ (Water), then the felt of their tents and the dense pungent smell of cheese, fat and milk. They covered my body in fat to help it regenerate warmth, and wrapped it in felt as an insulator to keep the warmth in”. So, it is little surprise that when he was commissioned to fill a dead space of concrete construction for a pedestrian tunnel, he chose animal fat. Fat: a life sustaining substance, essential for nourishment and fuel; a nurturing material to rescue a cold, wounded place. After being removed from the cast, the sculpture was cut into six segments, which are what currently comprise the installation at the museum, titled Unschlitt/ Tallow.
Felt is also seen throughout the West Wing of the Hamburger Bahnhof, through which Beuys evoke the images of protection, insulation and spiritual warmth. Similarly to Kiefer, his work bestows the viewer a multisensory experience; from the waxy fat aroma, to wanting to snuggle up in his felt rolls up against the walls, minding the javelin of course, which perhaps serves to demonstrate the fallibility of man.
Throughout his work, Beuys maintained that he worked not with symbols but with materials. This language of material is equally important in Kiefer’s works. Both works at the Hamburger Bahnhof are impressive, without being overwhelming, and they invite you to analyse and reflect on them. Displayed together, the uniqueness of the materials and the compelling density of their messages and intensity of their aura, would be fittingly and valuably highlighted.
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