Versumpfung Einer Venus 9 1963

Otto Muehl’s, Versumpfung Einer Venus 9, shows us how art can be made through action. Just look at that glorious mess! It’s a scene of total immersion. We see figures covered in thick, dark matter, working on a canvas that seems to grow organically from the floor. The surface is built up with layers of stuff, you can almost smell the oil paint mixing with something else. It’s clear that the artist isn’t precious here; he’s letting go, trusting the process. For me, the real magic lies in that tension between control and surrender. The way the figures interact with the material, the deliberate yet spontaneous gestures, that’s where the energy of the piece comes alive. There is a similar bodily engagement with materials in the work of Carolee Schneemann, both artists embrace the messy, visceral, and transformative potential of the stuff of art. It’s a reminder that art is not just about ideas, it’s also about feeling, about touch, about being present in the moment.