Honey in Contemporary Art: From Beuys to Huyghe
The article explores the symbolic and material use of honey in contemporary art, focusing on works by Joseph Beuys, Pierre Huyghe, and Mark Thompson. Beuys's 1965 performance 'How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare' features honey on his face, symbolizing life force and social sculpture. His 1977 installation 'Honigpumpe am Arbeitsplatz' at Documenta 6 in Kassel pumped two tons of honey through plastic tubes in the Museum Fridericianum, representing energy and circulation. Pierre Huyghe's 2012 sculpture 'Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt)' replaces a female figure's head with a live beehive. Mark Thompson's 1976 performance 'Live-In Hive' involves the artist inserting his head into a glass cube containing a bee colony. The article also mentions photographer Blake Little's series of honey-covered nudes, though without deeper symbolic justification.
Key facts
- Joseph Beuys used honey in his 1965 performance 'How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare'.
- Beuys's 'Honigpumpe am Arbeitsplatz' was installed at Documenta 6 in 1977.
- The installation used two tons of honey pumped through hundreds of meters of plastic tubes.
- The work was located in the Museum Fridericianum in Kassel.
- Pierre Huyghe's 'Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt)' (2012) features a concrete female nude with a live beehive as a head.
- Mark Thompson's 'Live-In Hive' (1976) involves the artist placing his head inside a glass cube with a bee colony.
- Blake Little photographed nude models covered in honey.
- The article was published in Artribune Magazine #34.
Entities
Artists
- Joseph Beuys
- Pierre Huyghe
- Mark Thompson
- Blake Little
- Heinrich Böll
Institutions
- Artribune
- Museum Fridericianum
- Documenta 6
- Free International University
- MoMA
Locations
- Kassel
- Germany
- New York