Wolfgang Zumdick
Dr. Wolfgang Zumdick
He has published a number of works on the history of philosophy and on 20th century art and philosophy, in particular.
Having graduated in philosophy and German language and literature studies in 1987, he was awarded his doctorate in 1994 from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technical University, Aachen. This doctoral work explored the nature and role of thinking in the work of Joseph Beuys and Rudolf Steiner. 1996 he was, alongside Allen Ruppersberg (Los Angeles), recipient of the first scholarship from the Laurenz Haus Foundation, Basel.
Wolfgang has lectured widely both as a guest lecturer at the University of Basel and contributed as a keynote speaker to numerous national and international Beuys Symposia.
He conceived and planned the Joseph Beuys Symposium for the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf in 2006. In 2007 he was chief curator of the “Joseph Beuys and Rudolf Steiner“ exhibition at Rudolf Steiner Archive in Dornach, as well curator of the exhibition “Social Sculpture today“ at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. He edited the catalogue for this Steiner-Beuys exhibition, and wrote one of the two key essays. Currently he is editing a volume of Steiner’s lectures (GA 75) on science and anthroposophy; co-authoring and editing a Social Sculpture Reader in English and German with Hildegard Kurt and Shelley Sacks, and co-authoring an artist’s book project entitled ‘Warmth Work in Regions of Fear’ with Shelley.
Since 1994 he has been working as an independent writer.
In 2000 Wolfgang began writing and doing public relations work for the North Rhine-Westphalia section of the Green Party in Düsseldorf. He works closely with sections of the European Parliament and is particularly interested in exploring how the social sculpture insights and ideas put forward by Joseph Beuys and now being extended by the Social Sculpture Research Unit can be worked with in fields beyond the art world.
He has written catalogue articles for museums and galleries including: Portikus Frankfurt, the Zürich Kunsthaus, Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Dundee Contemporary Arts and Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Sevilla, Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Vigo and the Nationl Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
He has authored the following monographs:
Der Tod hält mich wach, Joseph Beuys - Rudolf Steiner. Grundlagen ihres Denkens. Dornach (3. Aufl.) 2006.
Das Geheimnis des Tauchbads. Zur Geschichte der Abendländischen Metaphysik von Platon bis Beuys. Stuttgart, 1999.
Pan XXX ttt. Joseph Beuys als Denker. Stuttgart, 2000.
Rudolf Steiner und die Künstler. Dornach 2005.
Joseph Beuys - Rudolf Steiner. Zeichnungen, Entwürfe, Skizzen. Dornach 2007
Rudolf Steiner in Wien. Wien 2010
Dr. Wolfgang Zumdick was International Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University in 2008/09 and is a member of the SSRU Steering Group. The lecture series at Oxford Brookes that took place during his fellowship -From Paradise to Social Sculpture and Beyond - will form part of a book of essays, co-authored with Shelley Sacks.
His current SSRU related activities include his participation in one of the workgroups of the Ueber Lebenskunst programme in Berlin, and the co-curating of Energy Plan, a new exhibition at Schloss Moyland in Germany. The exhibition catalogue contains one of his essays. Wolfgang has recently also contributed key essays to the catalogues of the “Rudolf Steiner and Contemporary Art” organized by the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg in collaboration with the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, as well as 'Rudolf Steiner -Alchemy of the Everyday', a major retrospective of Steiner's work, organised by the Vitra Museum.
In June 2010, Wolfgang co-led a 6-day seminar programme with Shelley Sacks in Melbourne, Australia at the RMIT, entitled Every Human Being an Artist: the art of changing one's mind(set). 50 people participated. Shelley and Wolfgang both gave public lectures during this period. The programme was hosted by the Arts Department at RMIT and Ian George of the Social Sculpture Forum, Melbourne. There will be a follow up programme in Melbourne in 2011.
Wolfgang is currently (together with Hildegard Kurt) replacing Shelley in Oxford, where he will be supervising the masters and doctoral students during her sabbatical, until September 2011.
© 2008 Social Sculpture Research Unit
