The exhibition for spirit and matter, body and consciousness

How does liveliness arise? How do we grasp reality today? How do we distinguish between the I and the world? In the nineteenth century, the image the natural sciences had of the world was defined by materialism, according to which everything consisted of substance, or mass-based material. In this view, man was a selfcontained entity, an autonomous self who by means of his intellect looked out on the world as something external, something separated from him. The insights gained by the natural sciences, not to mention neurobiology and psychology, since the beginning of the twentieth century, have given rise to a completely new view of the world. Materialism and the world of objectifications have been replaced by oscillating quanta, by an immaterial view of the world as inseparable from us. Matter is essentially no longer matter. The dual experience of world, of subject and object, intellect and matter, whose characteristics were also influenced by "separating" matter, is being cast into question. According to Joseph Beuys the key contribution that materialism as still prevails today made as to move from the collective to the freedom of the individual. However, the danger is in isolating the individual person from the positive antipode, the social community that has still to be created. The exhibition Knockin' on Heaven's Door explores contemporary artistic representations of body/soul, body/mind, matter/consciousness. It shows how, since the 1960s, artists have intensely focused on corporeality, on the border between the I and the world, between the individual and the social, and have investigated how our realities are structured.

On show are works by Marina Abramovic/Ulay, Absalon, Samuel Beckett, Joseph Beuys, Andrea Fraser, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Dan Graham, Kimsooja, Korpys/Löffler, Thomas Lehnerer, Matt Mullican, Bruce Nauman, Gabriel Orozco, Kristine Oßwald and Gina Pane. The exhibition has been organized by the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, curated by Christiane Meyer-Stoll.

More pictures to this exhibition

  • Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zürich © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Opening
  • Thu, 25.9.2008
    18.00
  • Guided tours
  • Thu, 2.10.2008
    18.00
  • Sun, 2.11.2008
    11.00
  • Thu, 8.1.2009
    18.00
  • Thu 25.9.

    Opening

    Knockin' on Heaven's Door
  • Thu 2.10.

    Guided tour

    Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    with Christiane Meyer-Stoll, curator
  • Thu 16.10.

    Special Event

    Opening "Matt Mullican - Shooting Inside"
    at the Johanniterkirche, Feldkirch
  • Tue 21.10.

    Introduction for Teachers

    Introduction for teachers
    Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Sat 25.10.

    Special Event

    Guided tour "Matt Mullican"
    at the Johanniterkirche, Feldkirch
  • Sun 2.11.

    Guided tour

    Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    with Christiane Meyer-Stoll, curator
  • Wed 5.11.

    Introduction for Teachers

    Introduction for teachers
    Knockin'on Heaven's Door
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Thu 6.11.

    Film

    Artist Portraits
    to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
  • Sat 8.11.

    Art Talk

    Schüler/innen sprechen über Kunst
    ein Projekt in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Liechtensteinischen Gymnasium
  • Thu 13.11.

    Workshop

    Denken und Handeln im Bild
    with Kristine Oßwald, artist
  • Sat 15.11.

    Art Talk

    Schüler/innen sprechen über Kunst
    ein Projekt in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Liechtensteinischen Gymnasium
  • Sun 16.11.

    Families

    Family Sunday
    to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", with Tonia Weibel
  • Thu 20.11.

    In cooperation with St. Arbogast

    Kontinuität und Manifestation – Buddhistische Vorstellungen von Körper und Bewusstsein
    with Helmut Gassner, Head Letzehof, Feldkirch, in a discussion with Josef Kittinger and Christiane Meyer-Stoll
  • Fri 21.11.

    Special Event

    Guided tour "Matt Mullican"
    at the Johanniterkirche, Feldkirch
  • Sat 22.11.

    Special Event

    Guided tour "Matt Mullican"
    at the Johanniterkirche, Feldkirch
  • Mon 24.11.

    In cooperation with the Art Society

    Was hält die Welt im Innersten zusammen?
    Vortrag mit Hans-Peter Dürr, Quantenphysiker, Mitglied des Club of Rome und Träger des alternativen Nobelpreises
  • Sat 29.11.

    In cooperation with the "Erwachsenenbildung Stein Egerta"

    Sehender Körper – Konzentrierte Werkbetrachtung und Qigong Yangsheng
    Samstags-Workshop mit Christiane Meyer-Stoll, Konservatorin am Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, und Hanni Schierscher, Lehrerin für Qigong Yangsheng
  • Thu 4.12.

    In cooperation with the Art Society

    Bewusstsein und Materie in der zeitgenössischen Kunst
    philosophical discussion with Eva Schiffer, philosopher
  • Thu 18.12.

    Film

    Artist Portraits
    to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
  • Thu 8.1.

    Guided tour

    Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Sun 18.1.

    Families

    Family Sunday
    to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", with Tonia Weibel (fully booked)