FLUXUS 2025

Lars Schumacher – Art as Movement, Encounter, and Meaning

In an era where art is increasingly caught between market logic and media spectacle, the work of Lars Schumacher stands as a quiet counterproposal. The German artist, whose practice draws from Fluxus, Conceptual Art, and Mail Art, has developed a form of visual art that resists stylistic categorization—and it is precisely this resistance that defines its relevance. Schumacher’s works are not finished objects but open processes. They are spaces of encounter, reflection, and transformation. His art is not loud, not spectacular - it is quiet, poetic, and profoundly human. And in its attitude and methodology, it offers a model for what art can be today: a medium of connection.

Travel as an Artistic Principle

For Schumacher, travel is not merely a motif—it is a guiding principle. It stands for movement, openness, and the search for identity and belonging. His biography begins as a pathfinder and evolves into a seeker of paths.

“Fully present. Not as someone. But as what remains when everything else fades.”

This sentence is more than a poetic statement—it is a manifesto. Schumacher understands travel as an existential state, a form of self-location. His works emerge in transit, in transition, in the in-between. They express a posture of openness to the unpredictable and embrace fragmentation as a space of insight.

Photography as a Medium of Exploration

Photography, for Schumacher, is not a documentary tool but a medium of exploration. His images are not representations of reality but expressions of a stance. They arise from a desire to make the invisible visible—feelings, atmospheres, inner states.

His style blends figuration and abstraction, with a particular focus on feminine details. This fusion of concept and intuition gives his work a distinctive depth. His photographs are often part of larger art projects that explore social participation and emotional resonance. Schumacher acts as initiator, observer, and co-creator—crafting spaces for compassion, longing, and transcendence.

Places as Resonant Spaces

Places in Schumacher’s work are not backdrops—they are participants. Architecture, nature, and in-between spaces become silent commentators on inner processes.

“I cannot lead anyone through my steps—but through my images, they can see what my eyes saw.”

This subjective perspective makes his photography a medium of empathy. Even banal locations—a vacant room, a shaded spot on the beach—gain poetic depth through his lens. In participatory projects, places become active contributors to the artistic process. Schumacher initiates encounters where space, people, and ideas merge.

Time as a Fluid Concept

A central motif in Schumacher’s work is the non-linearity of time. His images do not tell stories with beginnings and endings—they reveal transitions, thresholds, and the in-between. They reject the narrative of dramatic climax and remind us that life consists of quiet passages. This concept resonates with both spiritual and physical theories that view time as cyclical or meaningless.

Media Diversity and Social Sculpture

In addition to photography, Schumacher works with film, collage, and sculpture. His interdisciplinary practice makes emotional and societal processes visible. His works are dialogical and participatory—they emerge through exchange and invite co-creation. He stands in the tradition of Joseph Beuys’ social sculpture, yet expands the concept into a contemporary, cross-media practice.

Selected works include:

LOVE – NYC: A large-format photograph capturing urban emotion and the longing for connection amid anonymity.

Route 66: A cinematic project with his Brother Leif Schumacher is a international awarded visual journey through American mythology.

The Unprinted Poster: An experimental piece reflecting on the unsaid and the unprinted.

International Resonance and Future Perspective

Since his first documented exhibition in Hannover (2011), Lars Schumacher has exhibited worldwide—in the United States, Italy, Japan, and even Antarctica. Notable participations include the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2022 in Niigata-ken, the Future Earth exhibition in 2025, and group shows at A.I.R. Gallery in New York City and Karuizawa New Art Museum. With over 100 group exhibitions and multiple biennial appearances, Schumacher has established himself as an internationally active artist. The Contemporary Context in a world shaped by acceleration, fragmentation, and digital overstimulation, Schumacher’s art offers a space for deceleration and depth. It is a counterpoint to superficiality—a plea for the invisible, the fragile, the human. His works do not demand interpretation; they offer space for experience. They are both invitation and insight. Lars Schumacher is not merely an artist who creates works—he opens spaces for thought. His practice could serve as a future model for art that defines itself not by market value but by social relevance. Art that connects rather than divides. That asks rather than answers. That moves—in every sense of the word.

Between Image and Action: The Artistic Journey of Lars Schumacher

1989–1992: Early Films & Social Awareness

• Made short films like "10:15 Saturday Night "and "The Weekend After November 9" about youth culture and German reunification.

• Gained international attention with "Route 66, Speed, and Spinning Head" — shown in Europe, Russia, and North America.

1993–1996: Participatory Media & Local TV

• Co-founded OKOK TELEVISION.

• Helped develop “OK Hannover” and later joined the board of “h1 – TV from Hannover.”

• Started exploring media art and collective storytelling.

1997–2000: Artistic Expansion & Fluxus Influence

• Shifted toward social sculpture, photography, collage, and performance.

• First works inspired by Fluxus and DADA movements.

2001–2004: Studies & Media Consulting

• Studied at the Academy for Cultural Education in Remscheid
  (now the Academy for Cultural Education of the Federal Government and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia).

2005–2008: Photography & Social Sculpture

• Earned a second diploma in Hannover, focusing on social society.

• Combined art, communication, and social science.

2009–2012: International Projects & documenta

• Created with 3 Artist the "Kassler Dokumente" for dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel.

• Photographic residency in India, March-April 2010, with a focus on portraiture and visual storytelling. 

• Photographic residency in New York, April–May 2012, focusing on urban narratives and visual storytelling. 

2013–2016: Books, Exhibitions & Awards

• Projects like FACE – a BOOK and Front of Stage with public participation.

• Received honorary award from Namik Kemal University (Turkey, 2016).

• Exhibited in the Netherlands and other countries.

• Created works in bronze, printmaking, and mail art.

2016–2018: Political Art & Global Mail Art

• Exhibitions in Venice, Istanbul, Argentina and Greece.

• Topics included peace, feminism, memory, and resistance.

• Work shown at Karuizawa New Art Museum (Japan).

2019–2021: Ecology, Fluxus & Collaboration

• Projects: Plant and Seed, I’m Not the Plasticman, Lost Nature, Collage & Collaboration.

• Exhibitions in Serbia, Canada, Turkey, and Germany.

• Participated in Fluxfest (Toronto) and Ocean Between III (Hannover).

• Won “Print/Art” award from Tyumen University (Russia, 2020).

2022–2025: Archiving,  International Collections & Global Connectivity

• Included in over 20 permanent collections.

• Zine contributions: Attic Zine, KART, Artistamp Revue.

• Themes: mythology, homage, visual poetry.

• Exhibitions in South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, and the USA.

• Media used: mail art, performance, digital formats.

• Participatory exhibition: We Will Find a Solution.