ART`S BIRTHDAY

Art’s Birthday: A Living Tribute in 2018 and 2023 Initiated by Susanne and Lars Schumacher

On January 17th—Art’s Birthday, as proclaimed by Fluxus artist Robert Filliou—artists around the world are invited to honor the moment art was “born,” a million years ago, when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water. Embracing this spirit of playful creativity and collective participation, German artists Susanne and Lars Schumacher organized artistic actions in both 2018 and 2023 to mark this occasion.

On January 17, 2018, artists Susanne and Lars Schumacher issued a digital call to celebrate Art’s Birthday - a concept originally proposed by Fluxus artist Robert Filliou in 1963, who declared that art was born 1,000,000 years ago when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water.

Their invitation was simple yet poetic: celebrate the birthday of art by taking a selfie or portrait with a flower (perhaps a red rose) or a cake, and send it via email to be included in a collective documentation. Participants were asked to share their name, location, and how they celebrated the day. All submissions were to be published both online and in print, forming a decentralized, global tribute to the spirit of art as a living, shared experience.

This digital gesture echoed the Fluxus ethos—playful, participatory, and anti-hierarchical—transforming everyday actions into aesthetic acts. In a time of increasing digital saturation, the project offered a moment of reflection and connection, reminding us that art is not confined to galleries, but lives wherever intention and imagination meet.