“The hare is my animal, extremely prolific and nimble, elusive and a crossover artist, at home up and down the steppe.“ Joseph Beuys.

Joseph Beuys is regarded the world over as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. But where exactly are his artistic origins? Where did his sources of strength lie? In January 1978, photographer Gerd Ludwig impressively captured how Beuys approached his past – in the city of Kleve and its Lower Rhine surroundings. There, where everything began for Joseph Beuys.

When Frank Mehring came up with the idea in 2021 of creating an installation with six of the Beuys photos by Gerd Ludwig in a large format in the exact same spot in the Lower Rhine landscape in which they were created in 1978, he connected it with a bike path. Freddy Langer took a ride on the bikeway for a day together with Mehring and Ludwig, and dedicated an essay to the tour. It is an amalgamation of conversations between the three gentlemen along the way as well as their...