Capital

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The recent banking, financial, and euro crises have highlighted the urgent need to examine the relationship between humans and capital. A special exhibition at the Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, titled "Capital. Debt -- Territory -- Utopia," showcases this theme through a comprehensive catalogue. Featuring works by around 40 contemporary international artists alongside selected artworks and artifacts from various eras, the exhibition delves into evolving concepts of value. Central to the display is Joseph Beuys' significant work, Das Kapital Raum 1970--1977, created for the Venice Biennale in 1980. This piece embodies Beuys' redefinition of capital, emphasizing that true value lies in the creative potential of individuals rather than in money, encapsulated in his assertion that "art = capital." The book accompanying the exhibition investigates the shifting definitions of capital across three chapters. The first chapter, "Debt," posits that debt, particularly the concept of inherited sin, predates and is more fundamental than money. The second chapter, "Territory," examines the links between capital and the exploration and conquest of global spaces from the early modern period onward. The final chapter, "Utopia," challenges Beuys' optimistic view of capital as rooted in creativity.