Jens Kabisch
Jens Kabisch (born 1973 in West Germany) is a contemporary photographer, performance artist, author, and motivational speaker whose work since 2000 has focused on authenticity, spirituality, purity, politics of funding, and the American identity. In his work, Kabisch assumes the identity of various persona to spread his message.
As American daredevil, "Evel Knievel" and in full costume, Kabisch performs works that push the limits of human endurance, both for artist and audience.[1] In doing so, he reveals how the American Identity is constructed and how its image is renewed. In "I Love America",[2] the artist wears tight, red, white, and blue, athletic apparel and sunglasses, while performing a twitchy pub-dance to a 2 measure loop of disco percussion that continues for thirty minutes. The artist has performed this piece in gallery settings and at musical events held in nightlife establishments. Responses have been unpredictable, as this piece tests the patience of its viewers.
"Super A", the Melanesian theorist and theologian, alter ego of Evil performs on stage while inhaling helium and telling jokes. "While under the influence of the US Army in the mid 40s and 50s the islanders of Melanesia developed an ostentatious practice mimicking the US culture, worshiping the wealth (cargo!) This performance elaborates on the basics of the cargo cult and shows the difficult implications of simulation and over-identification today."[3]
During the Obama/McCain campaigns of 2008, Kabisch gave a lecture which explored the "alleged differences between Barack Obama and John McCain, show how these differences are reflected in their appearances and media strategies, and ask what irony has to do with it." [4]
In a recent project, "High On Life!", Evil explores the spiritual limits of The American Dream of which he is a very proud incarnation. During a 3-week stay in Christiana, Denmark, Evil sat in a hole in the ground meditating. The artist expanded the view of his profession (daredevil) by meditating daily and engaging in a number of social activities focusing on the themes of "purity" and "purification".
On this journey of self exploration, Evil says, "I am here to explore. I am on a quest for personal integrity and unity. Man is asked to make of himself what he is supposed to become to fulfill what he is meant. Don't get me wrong: I don't do drugs. I relinquish anything that's wrong. I'm high on life! " [5]
Jens Kabisch, studied Fine arts at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, the University of the Arts, Berlin, and at Central Saint Martins College, London.
Publications[edit]
Innocent Nation. Barack Obama und die Politik der Authentizität. Vienna: Turia+Kant. 2013. ISBN 978-3-85132-717-5. Search this book on 
References[edit]
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