Contemporary Actionism as a Total Work of Art

The following report explores Richard Wagner’s concept of total art or Gesamtkunstwerk, a notion that gained prominence in the 19th century and found resonance in Symbolist art. This movement interpreted total art as a synthesis of various artistic forms, particularly music and theatre, infused with spiritual significance. Our objective is to demonstrate that in contemporary performative art, the integration of diverse media could give rise to a comprehensive work of art, akin to Wagner’s original vision. The article contends that performative art and actionism, by employing complementary artistic elements such as music, literature, theatre, objects, installations, and painting, have the potential to evolve into a unified and spiritually enriched work of art.