They may have been born in different countries decades
apart, but the artistic practices of Joseph Beuys and
Matthew Barney share much in common. This exhibition
explores their affinities, from the preoccupation with selfmetamorphosis
to the desire to film a performance –
turning performance art into documented video – and
the use of materials, such as fat.
The show juxtaposes installations, drawings and vitrines
by the two artists. It also traces their fundamental
philosophical differences, informed by the generational
divide between modernist and post-modernist thought.
Of particular interest is Barney's first installation, 'Field
Dressing' (1989-1990), which he made for his senior
thesis at Yale. It combines performance, video and
sculpture, setting the tone for the ideas investigated
in his future work. The video follows Barney, who is
wearing a body harness, swinging and climbing on
a rope, applying dollops of Vaseline to his orifices,
thereby repeatedly changing the appearance of his body
and the form of the Vaseline sculpture on the ground.
It reflects Barney's concerns with extremism, from
pushing himself to the outer limits of athleticism to selftransformation.

June 6 through September 2, 2007
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
701 Dorsoduro
30123 Venice, Italy
Tel.+ 39 041 2405 411