Bengt af Klintberg: On Fluxus, folklore and collecting butterflies — a conversation with Hanna B. Hölling, Aga Wielocha and Josephine Ellis

This interview explores the intersection of folklore and Fluxus art, offering insights into the preservation and transmission of Fluxus works. Folklorist and artist Bengt af Klintberg discusses George Maciunas’s definition of Fluxus as being deeply rooted in folklore genres like vaudeville, gags and children’s games. He draws parallels between folklore’s collective, nonindividual nature and Fluxus’s social character, suggesting that, like folklore, Fluxus pieces can become anonymous works shared across communities. The conversation addresses the tension between this collective origin and the increasing individualization of Fluxus through commodification and institutionalization. Af Klintberg emphasizes the importance of documentation over physical preservation, of maintaining extensive photographic records and diaries while being less concerned with preserving physical objects. He advocates for museum presentations that maintain Fluxus’s ephemeral quality rather than treating works as sacred artifacts. The interview also explores the role of storytelling in preserving Fluxus history, with af Klintberg noting how stories evolve and improve over time, much like folklore itself.