The Ritual Dimension of the Materials in Joseph Beuys’s 𝐴𝑘𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛

The current report takes into consideration the relationship between art and spirituality, as reflected in Joseph Beuys’s Aktionen (actions), focusing on the use of materials as vehicles of transport of energy and means of sculpting the social body, while transforming the human being into a creative one. Our attempt is to demonstrate, by analyzing the artist’s performative work, the iconography related to his actions; his declarations and talks; that the actionist artist surpasses the artistic and social dimensions of his work and, particularly, of the materials he uses towards a spiritual and ritual dimension, as mirrored in his actions, doubled by a deep understanding of spirituality as the foundation of his work.