Biography / CV
BBB Johannes Deimling, born 1969 in Andernach, Germany
"It is not about what you see. It is about what you don’t see."
(artistic statement)
Art can be just beautiful, enticing, formal or simple. (The artist must not be beautiful). Art can be just this magical visual sensation which appears when Yellow and Blue melting together - creating Green. This visual process has no purpose, deeper meaning or direction where we ought to find understanding. But this simple, elemental color union is able to trigger thousands of topics, stories, themes and concept without actually mentioning them. Art is not made to be understood in a logical way to place it somewhere in shelves of understanding and verification. If you try to logically understand my art you will simply destroy it before it can unfold its true nature.
But this simple, rudimentary color union is able to trigger thousands of themes, stories about how Cialis medicine helps men with erectile dysfunction symptoms. These stories can be found on this website.
I also don’t understand my art and I am sure that I will never be able to put the ‘meaning’ or ‘sense’ of my performance images into words. (Perhaps in poetry only). I am already here placing colors, forms, compositions again and again into dialogue and see the appearing tensions and possibilities. This is already a universe, this can be it. It is like having the paradox as a constant companion which guarantees no solution, no result, no answer, no arrival – but an exciting journey to one’s own visual memory. It is not about what you see. It is about what you don’t see. To activate this access is my personal and artistic wish.
"simplicity of complexity"
“Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.”
[Charles Mingus]
To present complex contents, situations and moments in a simple and elementary way is a signature of the art of BBB Johannes Deimling: the term ‘Performance Art Povera' describes his works. These are the intersections that inspire and provoke his approaches to the perception of aesthetics, concept and content of his work. The ‘acted images [agierteBilder]’ of the artist are initially created purely visual, but gradually access to all the senses to create a holistic view on the banalities of everyday life with all its changes.
With a deep interest in material and objects, their aesthetics and transformational potential BBB Johannes Deimling is entering the performative field with a pure visual approach. “It is not the action that makes the performance.” he says and points on the quality of an image created in combination with materials, objects and action in correspondence with space and time. Deimling forms first single images, the so called ‘acted images [agierte Bilder]’, consisting of reduced, simple actions often with only one object, one sort of material or one gesture. With a passion for details a visual alphabet of ‘acted images [agierte Bilder]’ accrues which allows him literally to write his Performances. Using the technique of Collage he combines several ‘acted images [agierte Bilder]’ allowing him to play in a cinematic way with his elements, gestures and objects by deconstructing the course of actions and putting the parts anew together. The pureness of his artistic language causes that those images melt together. During this process various intersections are appearing in which unpredictable new images emerges. Material and objects begin to perform as Deimling is treating them more like puppets. “What’s in my head”, “leaking memories”, “around the world” or “a rolling stone gathers no moss” are just a few titles of cycles in which BBB Johannes Deimling includes several performative Collages. From a simple single image the artist lines up a complex and holistic universe of visual imagery.
The ephemeral performed Collages appear more poetic than descriptive and rather metaphoric than symbolic. The metaphor is an image which falls apart at any attempt of approaching it and invites the viewer to read the action in order to stop searching for words of explanation and to look for attributions. Deimling creates ephemeral images, not made to be interpreted and drown out the logic of language. By placing the image over the word he formulates a visual language in which the balance of the metaphoric, poetic image and the transformation of the artist into a unique readable sign is shifting perception. The precision of his movements, the possibility of failure and the presence of coincidence achieve a pure visual sensation where simplicity generates this humorous magic moments which is in Deimling’s works immanent.
The artist constantly invites to a dialogue between other art forms such as poetry, sculpture, architecture, dance, sound, drawing. His performative Collages are a forum for interdisciplinary discourses where Performance is used as tool for communication in which he invites the viewer of his works to take part in.
The absence of rehearsal plays a distinct role and manifest the value of the creative act. Imagination and forethought are important tools which brings the artist’s concepts to life. This working method includes the failure, sharpen the focus and increases artist’s concentration on absolute being with the moment. Not rehearsing contains the sensation of a shared space while the action unfolds in front of the viewer. Based on these experiences Deimling creates visual knowledge which touches the base of memory, stroke the desires of tomorrow and manifest the beauty of now.
selected performances – agierte Bilder
2017: "colorblind #10", Museum für bildende Künste, Leipzig
2017: "it won't always grow back #14", tjg Theaterakademie, Dresden, Germany
2017: "it won't always grow back #13", projektraum streitfeld, München, Germany
2017: "it won't always grow back #12", act.move.perform., Dresden, Germany
2017: "colorblind #7", Albertinum - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, Germany
2017: "it won't always grow back #11", P.S. - this is live, The Hague, Netherlands
2017: "it won't always grow back #10", P/ROPS, Gent, Belgium
2017: "colorblind #6", Cloud Festival, Tirana, Albania
2017: "it won't always grow back #9", Galeria Kobro, Łódź, Poland
2017: "it won't always grow back #8", Performancecrossings, Cross Club, Prague, Czechia
2017: “it won'’t always grow back #7”, Palais Prinz Carl, Heidelberg, Germany
2016: “and the band played on”, Nomadic arts festival, Bratislava, Slowakia
2016: “Don’'t be afraid”, Galerie Michaela Stock, Vienna, Austria
2016: “it won’'t always grow back #5”, Arti and Amicitae, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016: “it won’'t always grow back #4”, Galeria Raczej, Poznan, Poland
2016: “it won’'t always grow back #3”, Collegium Hungaricum, Berlin, Germany
2015: “it won’'t always grow back #2”, Performance Festival Kunstbanken, Hamar, Norway
2015: “straw shoes”, Arken – Museum for contemporary art, Copenhagen, Denmark
2015: “decoy”, Hole of fame, Dresden, Germany
2014: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #13", M:ST performative art festival, Calgary, Canada
2014: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #10”, CREATurE Performance festival, Kaunas, Lithuania
2014: “HEROSTRAT", Gallery Beton 7, Athens, Greece
2014: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #8", Savvy Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2014: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #7", Muthesius Academy of Art, Kiel, Germany
2013: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #6", Espai d´art contemporani de Castelló, Castelló, Spain
2013: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #4", Abierto de Accion, Malaga, Spain
2013: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #3", PAO - Performance Art Oslo festival, Oslo, Norway
2013: “a rolling stone gathers no moss #2", performNOW! festival, Winterthur, Switzerland
2013: “green line", University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
2013: “around the world # 8", Cyprus International Performance Art Festival, Nicosia, Cyprus
2012: “I could”, PAE Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2012: “Blanc #8”, Performance art festival, PAB - Performance Art Bergen, Bergen, Norway
2012: “around the world #2", Fluxee performance art event, Turku, Finland
2011: “around the world #1", GuangzhouLive performance art festival, Guangzhou, China
2011: “friendly fire", seahnak 3, performance art festival, Haapsalu, Estonia
2011: “memorial for deceased performance- and action artists", galeria BWA, Bydgoszcz, Poland
2011: “leaking memories [part 2]", LiveAction +, Fylkingen, Stockholm, Sweden
2011: “leaking memories [part 1]", Interakcje, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland
2010: “I can’t, I can’t”, home sweet home, performance art festival, Berlin, Germany
2010: “I don't wanna talk about it" [what's in my head #14], infr’action, Sete, France
2010: “I can say what i want" [what's in my head #12], Perfo10, 3h+k gallery, Pori, Finland
2010: “Lilly”, Las bas Biennale, Kiasma – museum for contemporary art, Helsinki, Finland
2010: “Transparent Material”, Extension Series 2, Grimmuseum, Berlin, Germany
2009: “What’s in my head III”, Perf09, performance art festival, 3h+k gallery, Pori, Finland
2009: “speechless”, Orange-Festival IL NOSTRO GUSTO, St. Hyacinthe, Canada
2009: “Don’t Hurt Me”, Chamalle [x], performance art festival, Pontevedra, Spain
2009: “What’s in my head II”, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Germany
2009: “What’s in my head I”, k-salon, Berlin, Germany
2009: “How to explain”, international Performance Art Festival, Wrocław, Poland
2009:“Auto Aggression”, Galerie kub, Leipzig, Germany
2008: “Illusion”, Perfo08, performance art festival, 3h+k gallery, Pori, Finland
2008: “no rose without a thorn”, 7a*11d, performance art festival, Toronto, Canada
2008: “My Way”, Preavis de desordre urbain, performance art festival, Marseille, France
2008: “golden ship”, part of the exhibition Mnemosyne & Lethe, Dresden, Germany
2008: “this is my land”, pro.existence, performance art festival, Schloss Bröllin, Germany
2008: “six weeks, 7 days”, MOTION 4, performance art festival, Galerie Nord, Berlin, Germany
2008: “read twice”, CCA, Center for contemporary arts, Tel Aviv, Israel
2007: “Cierpliwosc”, TVP Kultura, Warsaw, Poland
2007: “D-249736810”, Performance Art Platform, Tel Aviv, Israel
2007: “daily work”, Creatures, performance art festival, s’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
2007: “face to face”, Malamut, performance art festival, Ostrava, Czech Republic
2007: “Don’t Hurt Me”, Mayflies, Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester, UK
2007: “no rose without a thorn”, To Zrób, BWA Zielona Góra, Poland
2007: “Word’s don’t come easy”, Eurasia, performance art festival, Poznan, Poland
2007: “Genesis”, Interakcje, performance art festival, Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland
2006: “Geduld”, Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany
2006: “Genesis”, MOTION 3, performance art festival, Galerie Nord, Berlin, Germany
2006: “Anstoss”, Wildwechsel, performance art festival, Frankfurt, Germany
2006: “unsere Schuld”, Performance Lectures, performance art festival, Karlsruhe, Germany
2006: “Genesis”, Modelarnia, Gdansk, Poland
2005: “the juliette letters part V”, Performance Perimeters Symposium, Regina, Canada
2005: “the juliette letters part IV”, AccionMAD05, performance art festival, Madrid, Spain
2005:“BLANC”, fraktale IV:tod, Palast der Republik, Berlin, Germany
2005: “Kopfzerbrechen”, 13. Performance Art Conference, Berlin, Germany
2005: “Wille”, A PART Festival, Katowice, Poland
2005: “Kannattlikus”, Vaal Galerii, Tallinn, Estonia
2005: “Taxi Libre”, MORE LIGHT!, performance art festival, Havana, Cuba
2004: “unter diesem Gesichtspunkt”, rencontres internationales, Paris, France
2004: “Words Don’t come easy”, castle of imagination, Schindler´s Factory, Cracow, Poland
2004: “Hope & Glory”, Live Art and Video Festival, Viinistu, Estonia
2004: “success”, Kunstverein, Gütersloh, Germany
2003: “Haifa”, rencontres internationales, Berlin, Germany
2003: “Wille”, 5th Baltic Biennale, National Museum, Szczecin, Poland
2003: “gezwungenermassen”, Gallery Schafschetzy, Graz, Austria
2002: “Cover Your Tracks”, stadtraum()privatraum, performance art festival, Mannheim, Germany
2002:“Eine kleine Kunstkritik”, Gallery art international, Gstaad, Switzerland
2002:“Salt Dancer”, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Germany
2001: “Fressen und gefressen werden”, Bone VI, Stadtgalerie, Bern, Switzerland
2001: “a war peace”, National Museum, Szczecin, Poland
2001:“Nationale Identität”, Hybrid, performance art festival, Münster, Germany
2001:“Auf die Plätze, Fertig, Los”, École des beaux arts, Paris, France
2000: “Gesicht verlieren”, Physical Vehicle, performance art festival, ICA, London, UK
2000: “Hand aufs Herz”, 5. int. Performance Day, Giswil, Switzerland
2000:“Gesicht verlieren”, Künsterhaus Mouson Turm, Art Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
transfer of experience
Teaching and learning Performance Art is for Deimling “a performative act itself”. At the age of 27 BBB Johannes Deimling got his first teaching position for Performance Art and counts as a pioneer in this field. His didactic interest is to extract learning tools and experiences from performative art works and make them available for artists, art students, and as well teenagers. “Not everybody needs to get a performance artist”, but to understand performative processes is a vital knowledge which can inspire one self, life and society and of course all other art forms. Deimling activates, provokes and motivates this what is already there in his students. His teaching philosophy is closely connected with his artistic working method and he creates a didactic on Performance Art including Sculpture, Installation, Drawing, Photography, Video, Dance, Poetry, Theatre, Scenography, Music, … which makes his educational work flexible and distinctive.
teaching experience
Employments
2011 - 2016: Associate professor for performance art, NTA - Norwegian Theatre Academy, Østfold University College, Fredrikstad, Norway
1997 – 2011: Teacher for performance art, F+F - School for art and media design, Zürich, Switzerland
Since 2008: Teacher for art and performance art, Institute for art and pedagogy, TU- Dresden, Germany
Since 2008: Founder and artistic director of PAS | Performance Art Studies
2004 – 2009: Teacher for performance art, Estonian Academy for the arts, Tallinn, Estonia
2003 -2005: Teacher for art at KLiP – art and learning in process, school project, supported by the association for the arts and education of Germany, Berlin, Germany.
Selected Master classes (3-6 ETCS credit points)
2017: Musrara, Multidisciplinary School of Art and Society, class of Kineret Haya Max, Jerusalem, Israel
2017: HKU – Hogeschoolen for de kunsten, department of fine arts, Utrecht, Netherlands
2016: Estonian Art Academy, fine art department, Tallinn, Estonia
2016: HKU – Hogeschoolen for de kunsten, department of scenography, Utrecht, Netherlands
2014: Athens School of Fine Arts, fine art department, Athens, Greece
2013: Art Univeristy, fine art department, Nicosia, Cyprus
2012: Willem de Kooning Academy, fine art department, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2012: Alberta College for art and design, fine art department, Calgary, Canada
2012: SMAK - Satakunta University for applied sciences, live art department, Kankaanpää, Finland
2011: Art Academy, fine art department and photography, Guangzhou, China
2010: Theatre Academy, live art department, Helsinki, Finland
2009: NTA – Norwegian Theatre academy, scenography, Fredrikstad, Norway
2008: Art Academy, fine art and ceramic department, Mainz, Germany
2007: Bezalel - school of the arts, fine art department, Jerusalem, Israel
2006: HfBK - Art Academy, fine art department, Leipzig, Germany
2006: HfG - University for Design and Art, fine art department, Karlsruhe, Germany
2005: Universidad Politécnica, fine art department, Valencia, Spain
2004: University of Regina, fine art department, Regina, Canada
PAS | Performance Art Studies
Based on his artistic researches and educational interests BBB Johannes Deimling founded in 2008 PAS | Performance Art Studies. PAS is an independent art & education project offering intensive studies to young artists, art students and others interested in performance art. The aim of these studies is to provide the participants with a comprehensive form of teaching and learning on performance art, everywhere in the world and always in cooperation with performance art festivals, art academies, museums and galleries.
Selected PAS | Performance Art Studies
2017:
PAS #58 | "my body asking your body questions", PAO - Performance Art Oslo, Oslo, Norway
PAS #55 | 'DUEL', P.S. - this is live, The Hague, Netherlands
PAS #54 | ‘na granicy percepcji rosną wspaniałe kwiaty’, Strzemiński Art Academy, Łódź, Poland
PAS #53 | ‘IN-DUST-REAL’, Kelim – choreography center, Bat Yam, Israel
PAS #52 | ‘Zeitgeist’, HKU - Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, Netherlands
2016:
PAS #51 | "Critical Reflection II", VENICE INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE ART WEEK, Venice, Italy
PAS #47 | “ICON”, Galerie Michaela Stock, Vienna, Austria
PAS #45 | “Human Factor 2”, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
PAS #44 | “I know the smell, but I don't remember”, Galeria Raczej, Poznan, Poland
2015:
PAS #43 | "Salt & Pepper", PAO - Performance Art Oslo, Oslo, Norway
PAS #39 | "Creaking Wooden Fish", VENICE INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE ART WEEK, Venice, Italy
PAS #38 | "places of duration", epitelesis - performance art foundation, Athens, Greece
2014:
PAS #37 | "critical reflection", VENICE INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE ART WEEK, Venice, Italy
2013:
PAS #32 | "Absurdity", Grimmuseum, Berlin, Germany
PAS #31 | "between the lines #6", TU-Dresden and the university Köln, Rehlovice, Czech Republic
PAS #30 | "the moment when the end surprises the beginning", CIPAF - Cyprus International Performance Art Festival, Nicosia, Cyprus
2012:
PAS #27 | "After Image", Grimmuseum, Berlin, Germany
PAS #26 | "Object trouvé", PAE - performance art events #4, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
PAS #24 | "Themomentwhenanappleistooheavyandhastofalldowntotheground", M:ST performative arts festival, Calgary, Canada
2011:
PAS #22 | "What is important? #3", GuangzhouLIVE, Guangzhou, China
PAS #20 | "In Context", Grimmuseum, , Berlin, Germany
PAS #19 | "Intensified Dialogues", INTERAKCJE, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland
2010:
PAS #16 | "Extension", Grimmuseum, Berlin, Germany
2009:
PAS #13 | "New Era", Tina B. – art festival, Czech Republic
PAS #12 | "Food Step", Viva Art Action festival, Montreal, Canada
PAS #11 | "GLOBAL COMMUNICATION”, CSW Elektrownia – center for the arts, Radom, Poland
PAS #6 | "Performance Art meets Scenekunst", Norwegian Theatre Academy, Fredrikstad, Norway
2008:
PAS #5 | "What is important? #1", FADO – centre for performance art, Toronto, Canada
PAS #4 | "Urban Disorder", Préavis de Désordre Urbain, Marseille, France
PAS #3 | "between the lines #1", TU-Dresden, Rehlovice, Czech Republic
Selected other relevant experiences
2017: artist in residence, tjg - theatre young generation, Dresden, Germany
2017: Co-organizer of the international Symposium ACT.MOVE.PERFORM., Dresden, Germany
2015-2016: Jury member of the Østland Exhibition, Oslo, Norway
2015: “PATINA”, film project with Monika Sobczak, Czech Republic
2014: curator of the Performance Festival “the leakers”, Mille Feuilles art center, Nantes, France
2014: co - organizer of the 5th Art Symposium "Doing. Learning. Convey. - Performance Art in schools", in cooperation with the University Dresden, the University Leipzig, Germany
2012: curator, Polish/German Performance Art Festival “Klopsztanga”, Gallery Alte Post, Neuss, Germany
2012: research residency at “archiv performativ”, a project by the Institute for Cultural Studies in the Arts at the ZHdK, Zurich, Switzerland
2012: curator of the arts festival “Seanahk 3”, in cooperation with Jaan Toomik and the Estonian arts center, Haapsalu, Estonia
2011: curator of the performance art event “from me to you”, Flutgraben e.V., Berlin, Germany
2011: curator of the performance art event “Global Communication”, Elektrownia – center for the arts, Radom, Poland
2011: curator of the artistic research project “A BIGGER SCALE OF TOUCH”, in cooperation with Ostfold University College in Fredrikstad, Norway, Meteor festival in Bergen, Norway and Centro Parraga in Murcia, Spain
2010: curator of the performance art event "men only", Flutgraben e.V., Berlin, Germany
2010: curator of the performance art event “there is no grass under my skin”, grenz.ART, Germany
2009: member of the jury for Arena Festival, international festival for the young arts, Erlangen, Germany
2005: curator of the performance art festival "private impact", Aktionsbank, Berlin, Germany
2004: curator of the performance art festival "private impact", National Museum, Szczecin, Poland
2000 -2002: curator of “TYPUS”, performance art events in different locations, Berlin, Germany
selected publications and contributions
2017: "PERFORMANCE ART EDUCATION - KUNSTPÄDAGOGISCHE KNOTENPUNKTE 03", publication, contribution, published by Burg Giebichenstein (Sara Burkhardt and Antje Dudek) [ISBN 978-3-86019-126-2], Germany
2017: “Bildnerische Etüden”, KUNST+UNTERRICHT Nr. 409/410, journal, contribution, published by Friedrich Verlag, [ISSN: 0931-7112], Seelze, Germany
2017: “Critical Reflection II”, 378 pages, process publication, published by PAS, Poznan, Poland
2016: “The Wall”, process publication, 348 pages, published by PAS, Poznan, Poland
2015: “a rolling stone gathers no moss”, catalogue, 204 pages, published by SAMISDAT, Berlin, Germany
2015: "Performative Kreativität", by Ines Seumel, published by Kopaed, [ISBN 978-3-86736-434-8], Munich, Germany
2015: “THE BOOK”, process publication, 172 pages, published by PAS, Poznan, Poland
2014: "It's not the action that makes the performance", catalogue, 220 pages, published by SAMISDAT, Berlin, Germany http://j.mp/PPLxX9
2014: “a rolling stone gathers no moss”, catalogue, 166 pages, published by SAMISDAT, Berlin, Germany http://j.mp/1zMXuPr
2014: “HEROSTRAT”, catalogue, 38 pages, published by SAMISDAT, Berlin, Germany http://j.mp/1rxeoOj
2013: "METAMUZEUM", publication, text contribution, published by Prof. Artur Tajber and the national science center, [ISBN: 978-83-62321-14-8], Krakow, Poland
2013: "Fabularie", art journal, text contribution, [ISSN: 2300-7281], Bydgoszcz, Poland
2013: "Orte performativ erschließen", KUNST+UNTERRICHT Nr. 374/375, journal, contribution, published by Friedrich Verlag, [ISSN: 0931-7112], Seelze, Germany
2012: “Never or Now”, catalogue, text contribution, published by Revolver Verlag, [ISBN: 978-3-86895-186-8], Berlin, Germany
2012: “White Shirt Moment”, catalogue, 72 pages, published by PAS, Berlin, Germany
2011: “LiveArtWork DVD #12”, DVD compilation, published by Christopher Hewitt, Berlin, Germany
2011: “Greatest Hits – Vol. 1-2”, DVD compilation, published by LiveArtWork and SAMISDAT, Berlin, Germany
2009: “Eating the universe”, catalogue, text contribution, 312 pages, published by Dumont Buchverlag, [ISBN: 978-3-8321-9240-2], Köln, Germany
2008: “Pain as an image”, publication, text contribution, published by Helge Meyer, Hildesheim, Germany
2008: “performativität erfahren. aktionskunst lehren - aktionskunst lernen”, publication, text contribution, 248 pages, published by Marie-Luise Lange, [ISBN: 3-937895-42-6], Berlin, Germany
2003: “Geradeaus”, catalogue, 128 pages, published by SAMISDAT, Berlin, Germany
