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 sociopolitical message.
(Rebecca Schoensee, art historian)

FILM WORK INTRODUCTION:

Nebe´s motives of urban landscapes describe the feelings of the humans who accidentally are living and moving as puppets there, their hopeless effort for finding safety, their nostalgic journey towards death; Nebe gives to us with a melancholic humour the secret or hidden dimension of the reality, poses to us questions in an almost ironical style about the nature of time and space, where all we are inevitably lost
(Evangelos Gazis, curator of 818 Digital Gallery)

EXHIBITIONS, COLLECTIONS, AFFILIATIONS:

SHOWS
2009 V.ART09, ECVP Vol. 2, curator Niclas Hallberg, Stina Pehrsdotter, Gummifabriken, Vaernamo, Sweden
2009 VITRUVIAN WOMAN, curator Michael Chang, Niclas Hallberg, Stina Pehrsdotter, Formverk, Eskiltuna, Sweden
2009 VENTIPERVENTI, Terza Editione, Napoli, Italy
2008 SHAPING TI-CITY, curator Peter Kastner, Zaal 100, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2008 miNiViDfest, Totalkunst Gallery, Edinburgh,UK

FESTIVALS
2009 1. INTERNATIONAL ART ACTION ISTANBUL, Worldwide Artists For Peace, curator Sevgi urum, Istanbul, Turkey
2009 MALTA INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, TVM, Malta
2009 FESTIVAL VIDEO DIA LOGHI, Torino, Italy
2009 ESSENCE/BORDER, KURYE INTERNATIONAL VIDEO ART FESTIVAL, curator Luca Curci, Istanbul, Turkey
2009 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART GARIKULA, HEP-HUMAN EMOTION PROJECT 2009, curator Karaman Kutateladze, Villa Garikula, Georgia
2009 PARTY CIRQUE AUDIOVISUEL, curator Peter Friedrich, Kolbhalle, Cologne, Germany
2008 INTRUDE ART & LIFE 366, curator Biljana Ciric, ZENDAI MOMA, Shanghai, China
2008 URBAN IDENTITY, VIDEO ART AND ARCHITECTURE EVENT, curator Luca Curci, Nadja Perrotta, Art Expo, Los Angeles, USA
2008 EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL 08, Totalkunst Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
2008 FREEDOM OF CHOICE INTERNATIONAL VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL, curator Alberto Guerreiro, Milton Dias, Lisbon, Portugal
2004 SWITCH MEDIA Art Festival PATHIHARN ELECTRON (SUPERNATURAL), Goethe Insitut, Bangkok, Thailand

GUEST ARTIST
2009 GALLERY4ALLARTS, Liverpool, UK

TV BROADCASTING
2009 CAR BUG, MALTA TV (TVM), 16th april, 10.10pm


WEB SHOWS
2009 SOUNDS OF PEACE, curator Olavo Tenorio, Brazil
2009 818 Digital Gallery, curator Evangelos Gazis, Greece/Switzerland
2009 ASTORYTOSEE.COM, curator Gabriella Boros, Turkey, Canada


GLOBAL VIDEO PROJECTS
2009/2010 VIDEO ZINE PROJECT 2009/2010, curator Michael Chang
2009 EXQUISITE CORPS VIDEO PROJECT, ECVP Vol. 2, curator Kika Nicolela
2009 VITRUVIAN WOMAN, curator Michael Chang
2009 HEP 2009-HUMAN EMOTION PROJECT, curator Alison Williams

COLLECTIONS
Joop van den Ende / Stage Holding Collection, Hamburg, Germany
Deutsches Institut fuer Animationsfilm, Dresden, Germany (www.diaf.de)
Oberverwaltungsgericht der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

NEWS:

ENCYCLOPEDIC CARTOONS.

The project´s idea is base on the encyclopedia, knowledge pool of the 18th century put together in a multi volume book project. The encyclopedia aimes making world´s phenomena understandable and put them into a larger context beyond religious explanations, which usually had been the first and only world interpretations in the middle ages provided by the catholic church. By this encyclopedia is the first try in modern time shaping the world.

In our time knowledge is provided by sciencists and changes everyday. Today it would be impossible to bring together the different concepts in order to understand the world from a unique position. Nevertheless the encyclopedia is still a distinct concept, which more than in the old days presents an utopia to us.

ENCYCLOPEDIC CARTOONS provides for each letter of the alphabet a more or less abstract word. Loosely connected to the word is a single film running from a few seconds to 4 minutes.

This are the words, representing the aphabet. For the related films, please consult the youtube website:

www.youtube.com/enigmaticbook

THE WORDS:


A-ARCHITECTURE
B-BALLET
C-CHILDHOOD
D-DISGUST
E-EMINENT
F-FRUIT
G-GROWTH
H-HOSPITALITY
I-INFINITY
J-JOINT
K-KILL JOY
L-LEGS
M-MECHANICAL
N-NIGHT OUT
O-OLD
P-PARADISE
Q-QUILT
R-REPRODUCTIVE ORGAN
S-SUSTAINABILITY
T-TALK
U-UNCHAINED
V-VIOLENCE
W-WASTE
X-XENOPHOBIA
Y-YELP
Z-ZOOLOGY

The project has lately developed into a cooperation of artists from different countrys. Participating artists are

Alberto Guerreiro (Portugal)
Alison Williams (South Africa)
Elisabeth Eberle (Swiss)