In Conversation: Hermann Nitsch. In: The Phenomenology of Blood in Performance Art

This chapter presents a dialogue with Hermann Nitsch. Captured in the months prior to his death he reflects on his artistic philosophy, the phenomenology of ritual, and the ontological significance of his Das Orgien Mysterien Theater. As a leading figure in Viennese Actionism, Nitsch’s practice engaged with the visceral realities of being, using blood, flesh, and ritual as conduits for transcendental experience. His work, often controversial, sought to dissolve the boundaries between life and art, body and cosmos, through immersive, multi-sensory performances that invoked Dionysian ecstasy.
The conversation with Bacon explores Nitsch’s engagement with mysticism, existentialism, and phenomenology, positioning his practice in dialogue with Heidegger’s being-in-the-world. Nitsch reflects on his belief in art as a metaphysical activity, describing his Malaktions (action paintings) as manifestations of being. He articulates his vision of excess, sacrifice, and primal experience, considering how sound, blood, and movement converge to create an orgiastic unity that disrupts moral binaries and conventional perception.
The chapter further interrogates Nitsch’s use of the human body—both his own and those of his performers—raising critical questions about agency, gender, and ethical responsibility in performance art. Engaging with Heidegger’s concept of aletheia (truth as revelation), the discussion examines whether Nitsch’s practice affirms or subverts the artist’s role as an originator of meaning. His reflections on ritual and procession acknowledge influences from global religious traditions while asserting an intent to move beyond archaic dogma towards a newly conceived artistic spirituality.
Ultimately, this chapter situates Nitsch’s work within broader debates on the intersections of art, philosophy, and embodiment, offering both a critical and intimate perspective on his lifelong pursuit of an intensified experience of being.