ART IS A STATE OF MIND
“It sounds presumptuous to want to change the world with art. And yet, I think we live in a time where that is more urgent than ever.“ Bernhard Zünkeler
Bernhard Zünkeler worked as business lawyer for 12 years before turning his passion into a profession and dedicating himself to conceptual art. For almost a decade, film-maker Aljoscha Pause accompanied the former attorney around the world, documenting his departure from his old life, in which he had to conduct dismissal interviews for the largest bank in the world, his uncompromising devotion to art, and a concept of a successful life that is all his own. Along the way he attempts to change the world with art and struggles against the art market establishment and outdated thought patterns. The series follows Zünkeler as he builds his own art labs and artist collectives auch as Freeters in Germany or ESMoA in L.A. and establishes a global network of like-minded people, ranging from Cuban dissidents to gang members in South Central Los Angeles. The research around his thesis of art as a state of consciousness is also explored. An inspringing road trip with a conceptual artist.