Actionism

Actionism is the English term for the Viennese group Wiener Aktionismus (Viennese Actionism), founded around 1962. It was a radical movement in performance art whose actions were deliberately shocking and often involved self-harm, the use of blood, animal carcasses, bodily fluids and ritualised violence. The artists sought to break down the boundaries between art and life, to provoke the viewer and to expose the hidden aspects of the human psyche, sexuality and collective trauma. The main members of the group were Hermann Nitsch, Günter Brus, Otto Muehl and Rudolf Schwarzkogler. Their actions unfolded in the context of postwar Austria and reacted against repressed memory, conservative morality and the legacy of totalitarianism. The most ambitious project was Hermann Nitsch's Orgies Mysteries Theatre, multi-day ritual events with a complex symbolism of sacrifice and catharsis. Viennese Actionism had a significant influence on the development of performance, body art and conceptual art, affirming the body and direct action as a fully valid artistic means and a means of social provocation.