Page 38 - Studio International - May 1972

This eclipse of easel painting through the collective basic facts of the psyche'. (Hermann Rainer had established much earlier that
presentation of the process of its destruction— the Nitsch.) pictures are a doomed endeavour `to
continuation of the psychomotor impetus of ( ?) In the 'actions' of the Aktionisten the demonstrate : the sinful attempt to seduce by
Abstract Expressionism into reality—led to the spectator is uninvolved. He is not drawn in and speech instead of by silence. These are the
movement known as Wiener Aktionismus, is not called upon to act. Vito Acconci, in his concessions to our dirty foundations, of which
which constitutes an important contribution to Avalanche Winter 1971, acted out the we are ashamed. Let everyone know, these are
the Happening movement, and also— especially transformation of his body into that of a woman, the traces, not our own selves.' And so the use
in the persons of Günter Brus and Hermann and practised living in the new situation by a of his own ego as a theme, of his own face as a
Nitsch—an interesting forerunner of the work sort of autosuggestion (`removing my penis, medium, as the field of ecstatic or stylized
now being done by Bruce Nauman or Vito hiding it between my legs ... '). Long before expression, is a logical consequence. He too
Acconci. The central idea behind the Wiener him, Gunther Brus had carried out the same shows an affinity with the theatre. 'I don't go to
Aktionismus movement, that of 'material action', exercise in a work called Body Analysis, in the theatre. Its existing forms, false and twisted,
is by no means entirely identifiable with the which the theme is the body as an immediate, don't meet me at any point.... The autistic
Happening principle. 'Material action works given, physical reality. The body is not seen in theatre : that perspectival point of convergence
with symbols which are themselves a story; the action but is measured, experienced as a where the creator and the work become totally
arrangement and combination of symbols as quantity. identical, even materially.' (Arnulf Rainer.) The
realities with an existence of their own.' (Otto In body painting, practised also by Arnulf self-absorption in contemplation, the refusal of
Muhl). The American Happening aimed at Rainer, the body becomes a painting surface : communication, the tendency to obliteration and
extending the realm of aesthetic experience, at the result is a consciousness of the body and self-destruction, bear characteristics of Oriental
direct sensory communication; the German painting of the body through painting. The philosophy, which can also be felt elsewhere
variety was essentially critical and didactic, but `actions' are spatially and temporally in the Austrian art of the present day.
Wiener Aktionismus involved markedly unrepeatable, and thus constitute unique The spatial situation, the mise en scene, is of
orgiastic, anarchistic elements. The motto was realities; they are recorded on film. The great importance in the object arrangements of
Artaud's 'All that acts is cruelty.' In accordance resulting films are deliberately art-free, Walter Pichler and Bruno Gironcoli. By contrast
with this conception of action carried to the amorphous, amateurish; and this enhances their with the 'actions' of the Wiener Aktionisten
utmost limits, theatre must renew itself. So it authenticity. In many of his works Brus or the performances of Joseph Beuys, the objects
was not a question of modifying or even consciously crosses the threshold of disgust, here, in their relationships at any given point in
presenting reality, but of direct actions that provoking his spectator through sensory time, are not the props of an action but the
were real, literal events. It was a matter of immediacy, through extreme 'situations' which accents articulating a space. It is only in his
`direct art, not reproduction of events; direct he does not 'act out' but concretely practises at imagination that the spectator joins in, or is
encounter between the unconscious and reality.' some danger to himself. 'The actions are pared joined in with.
This renewal of sensibility was as promoted by down, compressed. The body of the person Space for Gironcoli is a framework for
Jean-Jacques Lebel and Daniel Pommerulle. acting is put to a severe test.... The pauses are attention, a stage for his arrangements of objects.
Of an anarchistic mental attitude, this re- not padding, not doors and windows in a pre- In their relationships these appear absurd,
evaluation of reality, presenting it no longer designed stage-set.... The point of departure alogical; but they are subject to the permutational
through a medium but directly (and hence also lies in simple actions like reading, walking, lying faculty of their creator and to that of the
the term 'direct art' which the Wiener down and so forth. The actor turns aggression spectators. Their effect is that of a situation—
Aktionisten applied to themselves), was a against himself and against the objects around as if someone had just left the stage, and the set
method,—and a shocking one wherever sexual him, and appropriate actions manifest remained. Each arrangement is carefully built
taboos were involved—of 'extending reality, themselves : self-wounding, throat-rattles, up and determined, the objects cast in their
creating realities, and extending the dimension apparent strangulation, flagellation, tetanus- roles, the form and materials related to each
of experience' (Otto Muhl). Wiener Aktionismus like rigidity, etc. The abrupt alteration or other. The resulting associations are carefully
reveals many analogies with the modem cessation of a sequence of actions constitutes a calculated by Gironcoli. His earlier objects
movement in the theatre, and also with 'body destructive testing of the nerves.... The action looked like functioning furniture, and dispelled
works' as they are being created in a number of takes place for the most part outside the realm the illusion only when one tried to use them;
countries. Hermann Nitsch goes into this at of speech.' (Gunter Brus). Brus has repeatedly and the newer 'installations', too, carry a
length in his book Orgien, Mysterien, Theater, and energetically resisted attempts to provide a suggestion of usability. Real objects are
in an interview with Jonas Mekas. He too is sadomasochistic interpretation of his work. subjected to an alienation process by being
concerned, among other things, with a new Rightly so, as both self-painting and self-assault juxtaposed with meticulously designed objects
understanding of reality. 'We must experience are presented in an exemplary light, in terms which look familiar only at first glance, and
things intensively in order to abreact. Cruelty of the process of catharsis mentioned above. which make them look, in their turn, like
in the theatre can set us free. The idea of The Happening as such may be outworn; but ingenious facsimiles. Imperceptibly Gironcoli
abreaction is very important in the theatre.... many of Gunter Brus's 'actions', in their modifies what is known, suggesting hopeless
Through the theatre we can make abreaction a extreme radicalisation, achieve the effect of a situations of torture in a theatrically stylized
conscious process and bring about a catharsis.' paralysing, in Wilhelm Reich's words, a deep- way, an intensive mobilization of objects,
It is not without cause that Nitsch mentions lying sexual rejection. situations and signs which are employed in a
catharsis as the effect he sets out to produce. Arnulf Rainer, one of the most versatile of new and hermetic sense. He endows his objects
With the assistance of his 'actions', unconscious Austrian artists, is another who took an early with the aura of usable articles, but inverts the
processes are meant to be raised to the level of interest in 'actions'. Bruce Nauman, in his expected function, making them into objects of
consciousness, images of great intensity; flesh, `body works', is concerned with the an alien and to us unknown world. His drawings
blood, and religious symbols such as the lamb transformation of the face as a plastic process, all bear the designation 'Design' (Entwurf),
and the cross are planned as conscious elements and of the body as a dimension of spatial, plastic because what is represented in them stands in
of the work. Acts normally taboo are used to reality; but in Rainer's case it is important not need of careful execution in practice. His objects
produce the effect of catharsis in the spectator. to gloss over the existential background against and object-arrangements require precise
`The concrete objects on which demands are which his works, his overpaintings, his saturated craftsmanship and specific measurements in
made are only ciphers for an inner psychic images such as the series Face—Farces, are to be order to produce the desired effect.
reality which can be plumbed to the archetypal seen. This precision is something Gironcoli shares

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