I Like America and America Likes Me

Joseph Beuys

1974

Locking himself in a room eight hours with a coyote for three days, Beuys sought to call upon his shamanic powers with rituals to heal the rupture within the U.S. between its dependence on mechanical logic and the natural order. He does so through symbolism, such as playing a recording of a jet turbine to symbolize disruptive technology. Ironically, this piece marks Beuys’ first and last performance in the United States.