Subversive Esotericism and Aesthetic Radicalism

"An ambitious and illuminating work on one of the key movements of the neo-avant-garde. Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir sheds light on the important but hitherto neglected role of esoteric currents in Viennese actionism, tracing the links between esoteric notions and practices, political radicalism, aesthetic experimentalism and the countercultural milieu of the post-war period." – Benedikt Hjartarson, Professor of Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, University of Iceland “Guðmundsdóttir’s research makes a valuable contribution to the academic field of art and esotericism. It illuminates the profound and complex ways in which late 20th century art, less studied in this context, has engaged with esotericism.” — Nina Kokkinen, Research Doctor at the Donner Institute for Research into Religion and Culture, Finland In this book, Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir uncovers the crucial role of esotericism in the art of the Vienna Actionists—a group of Austrian neo-avant-garde artists, infamous for their transgressive performance art. Addressing this frequently overlooked aspect of Actionism, Guðmundsdóttir traces, historicizes, and examines the esoteric discourses in selected works: the collective manifesto Die Blutorgel (1962), Rudolf Schwarzkogler’s text Das Ästhetische Panorama (1967/68) and the performances Abreaktionsspiel (1970) by Hermann Nitsch, and Zerreißprobe (1970) by Günter Brus. Mapping out the various discursive entanglements as they appear in the works, i.e. between esotericism and psychoanalysis, fascism, gender, sexuality, aesthetics, science, orientalism and religious discourses, the author illustrates and establishes the importance of esoteric traditions for the Actionists’ art and subversive practices. The historical analysis of the artworks reflects on the cultural nexus of post-war Austria, as well as the relations between radical politics, countercultures and esotericism, and how they appear in Actionism. Guðmundsdóttir argues that to survey the historical placement of esotericism is vital for understanding not only the context of their works, but also the contradictory image of the Actionists as both anti-authoritarian and reactionary artists. Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Iceland.