Hermann Nitsch - An Attempt at the Total Work of Art

In his project for the total work of art, the Orgien Mysterien Theater, Nitsch reveals the ethical and aesthetic reserves of meaning inherent in Wiener Aktionismus, a special form of performance art derived from the re-interpretation of myths and collective ritual praxis and forged by the artist-philosopher, which is manifested in the activity of the masses, who take part in the performance.

“My actions drill into vivid being, wanting there to be being where there is nothing. I seek the vivid existence that lies deep in tragedy, where destruction and creation pervade each other. I seek intensity, I seek life.” — Hermann Nitsch