Basic Law, Article 5, para. 3

Arts...shall be free...

NRW State Constitution, Art. 18, para. 1

The state shall cultivate and promote culture, art and science.

Freedom of art is a form of free expression with special legal protection. “Art” is difficult to define, but clear definitions are needed in matters of law. Architecture, satire, pornography – what constitutes “art” – also depends on the points of view of both artist and competent observer.

The photograph shows H.A. Schult, object and performance artist who was born in 1939, in Cologne. Beginning his career in 1968, he has since become renowned for his art, which draws attention to the problem of pollution. The background photo shows his contribution to the contemporary art exhibition documenta in 1977.  For this piece, he arranged a stunt pilot to fly a Cessna covered in brand logos through Manhattan before crashing into a landfill on Staten Island, all while broadcast live to Kassel, Germany, where the exhibition was taking place.

In the foreground, he is seen posing with one of his “Trash People”, a thousand of which have travelled the world since 1996, with visits even to the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Giza.