About the work of Joas Sebastian Nebe:
REBECCA SCHÖNSEE,
art historian, writes:
"The work of Joas Sebastian Nebe opens up a dialogue with Viennes Actionism
from a reverse angle. While he likewise draws on themes such as ritual
sacrifice and mythic imagery, his work aims to expose the hidden
violence within contemporary structures as opposed to open rebellion
by means of performative art works as seen in the works of Adolf
Frohner, Nitsch and Muehl.
Nebe establishes a meta-discourse, discussing in his art works
the range of different ways of rebellion against repressive social
constraints.
Nebe’s starting point includes the denial of the orgiastic
experience which is inherent in Viennese Actionism. The viewer
is denied any cathartic
relief. Instead the impact of veiled resistance becomes uncertain.
By withholding that final relief, the spectator is at the mercy
to the same passive aggressiveness which is the main theme within
the
narrative of the imagery.
Nebe’s work demonstrates that the subtle mechanisms of power
cannot be resolved within the classical aesthetic function. By
reversing and inverting the viewing angles Nebe brings to light forms
of violence
that exist in the shadows of human behavior. By showing that violence
of any kind never can be a solution to human problems, Nebe’s
art conveys an important socio-political message." (REBECCA
SCHÖNSEE)
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