Nebe’s work is truly captivating as it seamlessly combines classical and digital mediums. By blending elements of literature, nature, and technology, he creates a harmonious fusion that is both thought-provoking and visually stunning. His art delves into a wide range of themes, from intimate psychological explorations to broader societal reflections. Each piece invites you to immerse yourself in his diverse narratives, sparking a sense of curiosity and engagement.
Gaming into Mindfulness
Interview with Joas Nebe by Rebecca Schoensee
(excerpt)
“It’s a never-ending game of disintegration. I
challenge the viewer by not living up to his or
her expectations. I am denying the satisfaction of
solving the riddle, hidden within the depth of my
artwork.” By turning his filmic cabinet of
curiosity into an intriguing jigsaw puzzle of
hybrid geometric patterns, Joas Nebe teases the
viewer into accessing his game. He believes:
“Riddle games of this kind spark creativity and
pass on the role of the artist to the viewer.”
Taking the Reason Prisoner
“To Nebe, “fantasy and creative intelligence are
important survival skills today.” So is chess, an
analogy he keeps referring to: “Chess exemplifies
my game with the viewer. In a world of shortening
attention spans, it’s an ideal
concentration-practice. One always has to think a
few steps in advance.” By screening the insanity
of our daily chase towards evolutionary
bankruptcy, Nebe in a clever move takes the reason
prisoner, only to appoint reason to be the king of
his game of chess. He calls for a close review of
the encyclopedia of our philosophical and cultural
foundations. In his opinion reason has the
potential to direct a path away from the horror
vacui he is depicting: “The model of enlightenment
has increasingly been discredited, wrongfully I
believe. Today survival and coexistence are only
possible if governed by the faculty of reason.
Labeling and connoting intellectual categories
help to bring new relations into sight and to gain
unexpected terms of knowledge.”
The interview essay “Gaming Into Mindfulness” has
been published in Humanize Magazine, issue 11, p.
20-31.
Joas Nebe: Intersecting Narratives of Art, Technology, And Nature, by Angela Li, AATONAU!
“The sprawling thematic expanse of his work, ranging from urban architecture to communication ideologies, reveals Nebe’s understanding of these motifs as distinctive languages through which people communicate. His prime focus on the utilization of language, both politically charged and devoid of it, coupled with an appreciation for the inherent gap between intent and the tool’s limitations, seeks to demonstrate the perpetual scope for interpretation in communication, reflecting a critical viewpoint towards ideology and political theory.
(..)
The artist’s journey, meandering through varied mediums and themes, is deeply imbued with an array of influences, both cinematic and literary, that have intricately shaped his work. Cinematic luminaries, such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Abbas Kiarostami, together with literary maestros like James Joyce and Jorge Luis Borges, have bestowed upon Nebe a rich palette of narrative and imaginative forms to draw upon. While the initial chapters of his career were penned with a distinctive narrative style, his evolving interest leaned into non-narrative art, esteeming the abstraction inherent in the communication process as a pivotal element both in his artistic preferences and creations.
(..)
Nebe’s choice of medium invariably intertwines with the themes he explores, offering a synergistic union between message and method. For instance, the collage technique in the “Into The Void” series artfully narrates physical and metaphorical erasures during the Stalinist era, whilst the Chimera series deploys AI-generated images to navigate through the realms of stereotypes and artificial creativity in AI applications. (..) It’s the perpetual uncertainty and potential for evolution in his projects that form the core of Nebe’s creative pursuits, rendering each journey into the artistic unknown both exhilarating and refreshingly unpredictable.”
“Joas Nebe: Intersecting of Art, Technology, And Nature” by Angela Li, AATONAU! artist feature, 2023
JOAS NEBE - WORKS 