After a seven-year jail term for drug offenses and immorality, Otto Mühl can pride himself on being Austria’s most controversial artist. From the early ’70s until 1991, the Viennese Actionist reigned over his “action-analytical commune,” a utopian experiment based on collective property, artistic creativity, and a fierce belief in free sexuality. While an abusive streak ultimately undermined the ideals of Meister Mühl’s communal body analysis, his artwork still stands for a radical spirit in the face of an ever-repressive Austrian social order. Curator Bettina M. Busse’s comprehensive survey features paintings, photographs, and video and film documentation of his extreme performances, while the accompanying catalogue traces the shady history of the Friedrichshof Commune.
