Photograph from the 122. action, Burgtheater, Vienna, November 19, 2005 Hermann Nitsch New Paintings and Video Mike Weiss Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings and video by Hermann Nitsch. Hermann Nitsch is widely acknowledged as one of the most visionary artists of his time and as one of the founders of Viennese Actionism. The artist is renowned as the impresario of elaborate Dionysian rituals that involve mock crucifixion, the pouring and drinking of gallons of blood, and the disembowelment of animals. The exhibition will feature several of Nitsch's new large scale paintings and three videos of his highly controversial performances: the 6-day-play, the 2-day-play and the 122. action. Nitsch's body of work is best understood in terms of the duality present in human existence: life/death, good/evil, beauty/horror, etc. Through his expressive paintings and orgiastic ceremonies, Nitsch uses tragedy and pain to shock us into sublime inspiration. The paintings on view communicate the artist's message with explosive intensity. They are brushed, swabbed and swept with luminous blues, greens, yellows and reds, producing violently beautiful, bursting patterns of color and form. Nitsch's canvases posses all of the dramatic energy of his actions - paint runs in rivulets, drips and splatters like blood spurting from a wound, and their effect is of tremendous immediacy, sensuousness and power. Through his performances the artist is able to convey his profound understanding of life's complexities, including its joys, its cruelty and suffering, as well as its underlying mythical and symbolic forces. Although Nitsch has faced daunting problems presenting his work: imprisonment, isolation, abuse by critics and animal activists, he has never compromised his vision. Hermann Nitsch will have a retrospective at the Nationalgalerie Berlin in 2006. His work is featured in the permanent collections of such institutions as MoMA New York, Guggenheim New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Gallery and the Pompidou Center. Exhibition: October 14, 2006 - November 11, 2006 Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 10am - 6pm and by appointment Mike Weiss Gallery 520 West 24th Street USA-New York, NY 10011 Telephone +1 212 691 6899 Fax +1 212 691 6877 Email info@mikeweissgallery.com www.mikeweissgallery.com |
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