Nitsch’s Performance

In 1978, the Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch (cf. his museum in Naples) visited Los Angeles.
He asked for some collaborators for his very loud (about twenty horns blasting), and very bloody performance/theater piece.
Back then, I had been immersed in Artaud’s writing…
I volunteered.
I had already met in person Valie Export, Arnulf Rainer, even met some AAO members (thumbs down).
Actionism was a known entity…

And this.

 

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Having being asked for “more information,” I will add that:

• • Nitsch did not provide much preparation, just expecting us to know his work, and be as passive as needed for the various scenes/tableaux to unfold – (FYI there were originally two of those “bodies,” but one started improvising on his own),
  • During the quartering tableau (cf. “bloody photograph above), with all of slaughterhouse ice-cold animal guts remaining on my body for a while, I started shaking uncontrollably [later I realized it was a natural “body-survival reflex” to generate enough body heat so that organs would not fail].
  • I ended up having an eye infection, most likely from some bacteria guts.
  • Subsequently, I shaved my head and produced a series of self-portraits, amongst which this one:
    

homage to Vienna