Mit „Fluxuriös! Kunst und Anti-Kunst der 1960er b

With the exhibition ‘Fluxuriös! Art and Anti-Art from the 1960s to the 1990s,’ the Archive of the Avant-Garde – Egidio Marzona (ADA) at the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD) is presenting a new exhibition from 8 November 2025 dedicated to one of the most uncompromising artistic movements of the 20th century. Fluxus and Action Art broke with conventional art forms, bringing together everyday life, communication, and sheer playfulness in spectacular fashion.

The Archiv der Avantgarden – Egidio Marzona (ADA) of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) will be showing around 90 works from its own collection. The exhibition will feature international pioneers such as George Brecht, Joseph Beuys, Charlotte Moorman, Dick Higgins, Ben Vautier, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Takako Saito and Wolf Vostell. Through their experiments and performances, these artists dissolved the boundaries between art and daily existence, challenging, and ultimately reshaping the art world.

The exhibition captures the movement’s kaleidoscopic spirit. But it also goes beyond that, probing the complexities of archiving and presenting Fluxus. What ties these disparate artworks together? Which motifs and materials keep resurfacing? Can Fluxus even be defined as a single category? By grouping the works thematically and focusing on their humour and irony, the exhibition invites visitors to explore these questions. Small objects and the cards typically used to provide instructions for performances are playfully and colourfully displayed. Visitors are invited to become active and have the opportunity to explore Robert Watts' Fluxus cards, Ben Vautier's art-historical questions or Wolf Vostell's “310 Ideas T.O.T.”.

The show is complemented by graphic works such as “Fluxers”, a portfolio containing twelve different pieces published by the author, critic and curator Henry Martin (1942‑2022), and the portfolio “7 childlike uses of warlike material” by the leading representative Robert Filliou (1926‑1987). Sound and film installations by the performance artist and cellist Charlotte Moorman (1933‑1991) underscore the diversity of Fluxus. A particular highlight is the sound multiple “Mozart Mix” by John Cage (1912‑1992) – an important inspirer of this movement. This interactive sound installation can be played individually by the visitors.

In cooperation with the Dresden University of Fine Arts (HfBK), students from the Hopf class will be expanding the exhibition in spring 2026 with new works that take Fluxus as their starting point.

In addition to tours of the exhibition, the accompanying programme also offers tried and tested formats which have been especially created for the ADA, such as “Tiny Desk Lectures” and “Object Talks”. Individual objects will be examined in greater detail, and the movement’s phenomena will be explored through dynamic dialogue. The finissage will feature dancers from the Palucca University of Dance, whose performance will address the theme of participation.

To the exhibition