This book is published to accompany the first comprehensive show of the Mexican artist Pedro Reyes in Europe. The trained architect caused an international sensation in 2012 with his large installation Sanatorium at dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel. In the exhibition at Museum Marta Herford, Reyes presents his extensive sculptural work, which is allied to the concept of “social sculpture” (developed by Joseph Beuys) and often references political activism.

As an artist who takes an interdisciplinary approach, Reyes is an advocate of the social impact of art, architecture and design. With his sculptural concepts that take a stand against violence and promote an intensive community experience and greater participation, he invites viewers to explore contemporary perspectives and creates a connection to theatre, political activism and psychology.

The term “societry” was coined by the social scientist Jacob Levy Moreno, who developed a series of therapies for healing society. In this sense, Reyes not only poses critical questions with his projects, but also develops utopian approaches to solving real social problems. In doing so, he incorporates psychological and philosophical as well as sociological and activist methods – encouraging people to become active themselves.