Biography

THEO ALTENBERG 

Theo Altenberg

Born 1952 in Mönchengladbach, Germany1970-73 Art Studies at Werkkunstschule KrefeldLives in BerlinProjects / Performances / Exhibitions(Selection)
1973 
• Kommune Praterstrasse Short Film, Super 8, Farbe, 18 min.
1974 
FUT.EX.COM.
• Performance - Lecture, Kommune Praterstrasse, Werkkunstschule Krefeld
1973-90 
• Kommuneexperiment Wien / Friedrichshof Editor of the magazine‘AA News’. Magazine for alternative lifestyles
1977-80 
Performances:

  • ‘Concert for 3 bodies’, Galerie Ariadne, New York 1977(with Brooke McGowen and Schlomo Skopic)
  • ‘Aufforderung an die Kunst’, Kassel 1977
  • ‘Megalo’, University of Düsseldorf, 1977
  • ‘Voyage dans l´enfance’, Cree, Paris 1978
  • ‘Patriamat’, Cree, Paris 1979
  • ‘RAMADAN’, Cree, Paris 1979
  • ‘Megalo II’, Museum Bochum, 1979
  • ‘Übung für Frau Laim’, Video, Düsseldorf 1979 (with Illo Lehr)
  • ‘Ridicuel’, Werkplaats, Amsterdam 1979
  • ‘N. & M.’, Werkkunstschule Krefeld, 1979
  • ‘Waschungen I’, Video, Werkbund Darmstadt,1980
  • ‘Waschungen II’, Video, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, 1980
  • ‘Dance of Psychic References’, Plan K, Brüssel 1980

1980-84

  • Foundation of the ‘Kunstbüro Friedrichshof’
  • Cooperation with Joseph Beuys and FIU:Project ‘7000 Oaks’, documenta 7, Kassel 1980 – 83 Apollozelt, 100 Days Performance, Kassel 1982(with Rhea Thönges and Johannes Stüttgen)Project ‘Institut für Kunst and Gesellschaft’(FIU and Friedrichshof)‘Conversations with Beuys’, Book, Ritter Verlag,in cooperation with Oswald Oberhuber

Since 1982

  • Texts about art and interviews with Joseph Beuys,George Baselitz,Wolfgang Laib, Bernhard Blume, Annelies Strba, Georg Dokoupil, Herbert Brandl and Günter Brus

1983-92

  • Initiator and curator of the Collection Viennese Actionismus, Friedrichshof (in cooperation with Josefine Rob)
  • Curator of following exhibitions:

Brus-Muehl-Nitsch- Vom Informel zum Aktionismus, Schüttkasten, Friedrichshof 1984 (Katalog)Otto Muehl- Van Gogh Serie,Reithalle, Friedrichshof 1985 Otto Muehl-Unfälle in HaushaltSchüttkasten, Friedrichshof 1986
1984-87

  • Main actor in the following film productions:

Vincent van Gogh in ‘Vincent’Pablo Picasso in ‘Picasso’Richard Gerstl in ‘Back to fucking Cambridge’in cooperation with Otto Muehl andTerese Panoutsopoulos
1986-94

  • Project ‘Atelier del Sur (Artists in Residence)’,El Cabrito, La Gomera, Spanien.Exhibitions with Albert Oehlen, Bernhard Blume, Royden Rabinowitch,A.R. Penck, George Dokoupil, Annelies Strba, Herbert Brandl, Günter Brus

1990-91

    Andy Warhol in ‘Andy´s Cake’ Film,Director: Terese Panoutsopoulos

    ‘Kinderstimmen’, Video - Installation,Schüttkasten, Friedrichshof

    Foundation of the Art Association ‘KunstWerk’

  • Curator of the exhibitions: ‘AUGEN SPRUNG BLICK WECHSEL’, ‘Annelies Strba’ , ‘Herbert Brandl’, ‘Raimund von Luckwald & Franz West’

1992

    ‘In Cooperation with den wirklichen und unwirklichen Bedürfnissen der Menschen in Deutschland’, Exhibition, ‘Orion Sex Shop’, Kassel

1993

  • ‘MUT TER SP RACHE’, Exhibition, Galerie Bruno Brunnet, Berlin
  • ‘Sexual correctness’, The Friedrichshof Experiment,Performance-Lecture, Hochschule der Künste, Berlin
  • ‘Utopische Kunst- künstliche Utopie’ group exhibition and symposium,in cooperation with Robert Fleck and Josefine Rob
  • ‘Sexual correctness II’, Performance-Lecture Schulhaus Friedrichshof
  • ‘A.H.: Ich bin Künstler’, Video-Performance, Unfair, Köln

1994

  • ‘NAME’ Band Project, with Alexander Gutsch and Karl Iro-Goldblat
  • ‘Observers’, Video,
  • Opening Show, Group exhibition with H. Brandl / P. Kogler /A. Oehlen /Eva Schlegel and others, Brasilica, Wien

1995

  • ‘MASS IVE LIE BE’ (Nin-Artrud Version),Exhibition, Brasilica, Wien
  • ‘JOINED’A Fusion of electronic music and contemporary art,club event + exhibition with COSMIC ORGASMand 4B, KHD-Hallen, Köln
  • Love Parade Berlin, Video
  • Street Parade Zürich, Video

1996

  • ‘MASS IVE LIE BE’, club event + exhibition,Rhephlex / London (Aphes Twin, Squarepusher, u.a) and contemporary artists, FLEX, Wien
  • Dance performance with DJ Hell, WMF, Berlin
  • Brasilica presents:“junge zähne“- the art of electronicmusic,Group exhibition, Secession Wien

1997

  • Noche de Techno - Salsa, dance performance and DJ Set,Casa de FEU, University of Havana, Cuba
  • ‘ODER NICE’, List and Link Music(in cooperation with Alexander Gutsch)
  • CD Sinn Zucar 001, Hör Spiel Musik, HSM 004DAS ES, Call Age Door, CD Sinn Zucar 002
  • Dance Performances: SONAR, Barcelona; DIX DIMENSION, Paris
  • ‘ÄSTE OF DIE ARTS’, contemporary art and electronic music, club event + dance performance + exhibitionStammheim, Kassel
  • ‘Sueno Latino’, dance performance, Ludwig Stiftung Havana, Cuba
  • ‘ODER NICE’, List and Link Music, live act, Stammheim, Kassel
  • ‘Du hast dich aus mir zurückgezogen’, exhibition, Brasilica, Wien

1998

  • ‘DAS ES’, live actFlex, Wien; Subground, Berlin; Ultraschall, München; Dock 11, Berlin
  • Dance Performance with DJ Hell,Casa de FEU, University of Havana, Cuba

1999

  • ‘TURKISH WOMAN’, Video, with Djuna Lou FinideeMarrakesch, Marokko
  • ‘ODER NICE’, live act, Sprach Nacht,O.K Centrum für Gegenwartskunst, Linz
  • Eine kleine Frequenztheorie, Film, Farbe 20 min.,in cooperation with Djuna Lou Finidee
  • ‘Alles Nichts?! Gesellschaftsutopien im 20. Jahrhundertsymposium and lecture (Aktuelle gesellschaftliche Gegenentwürfe)+ Live act DAS ES, feat. Djuna Lou Finidee,Kunstverein Glarus / Amden, Schweiz
  • ‘DAS ES’, live act, feat. Djuna Lou Finidee,Earth Dance Festival, Pfefferberg, Berlin

2000

  • Fliegende Fische / Flying Fishes, Group exhibition,Haus des Lehrers, Berlin
  • LKW Leben Kunst Werk, Group exhibitionKunsthaus Begrenz, Österreich

2001

  • The Paradise Experiment, book, with Paolo Bianchi and Günter BrusTriton Verlag, Wien
  • Experiment Paradies - Theo Altenberg :Photography 1973-1978, Exhibition,PICTUREshow Galerie, Berlin

2002

  • ‘Intentional Communities’,Group exhibition,Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art, Malmö;CAC Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius
  • ‘Sex - Vom Wissen and Wünschen’,Group exhibition,Hygiene-Museum, Dresden
  • ‘St. Petrischnee’, Group exhibition,Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich
  • ‘ELF ZU O’, ExhibitionMuseum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach

2003

  • Aktionskreis : Selbstdarstellungwith Christoph Schlingensief and the Ensemble of Volksbühne, Berlin

2004

  • ‘Experiment Paradise’, exhibition Galerie Maxla, Riga, Lettland
  • Le Plaisir, exhibition (paintings 1998 – 2004), Le Salon des Dépendentes Brasilica, Wien

2005

  • ‘Wall of Women - Installation Kommune’, Club 103, Berlin
  • Performance AktionskreisXplore 05, Berlin
  • Performance ‘ENDE NEU’Palast der Republik, Berlin
  • ‘KÖRPER’ group exhibitionGalerie Hummel, Wien
  • ‘VINCENT’PerformanceGalerie Maurus Gmür, Berlin

2006

  • ‘Fuck Back Kommune Revisited’, installationVolksbühne, Berlin
  • Sammlung Hummel, group exhibitionMumok, Wien
  • Talking Heads, group exhibitionGalerie Hummel, Wien