Archivio Conz

Jakob de Chirico (1943, Innsbruck, Austria) is an Austrian artist whose practice spans visual art, performance, political satire, and collaborative action. Active since the 1970s, de Chirico has carved out a distinct place within the European avant-garde, particularly through his involvement in politically engaged art and his associations with figures from Fluxus and the wider experimental scene fostered by Francesco Conz. After relocating with his family to Chiusa, South Tyrol, in the 1950s, de Chirico pursued formal training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he studied under Günther Fruhtrunk, a key figure in postwar abstraction. But de Chirico’s path quickly diverged from the academic toward the radical. Immersed in the sociopolitical upheavals of the 1970s, he became aligned with leftist and anti-clerical movements, using his art to critique institutional power—particularly the enduring grip of the Catholic Church in the Tyrolean region. His early output included politically charged screen prints, comics, and leaflets, often distributed in public settings or integrated into performative actions. Works like Sulla libertà dei contadini del Tirolo ("On the Freedom of the Tyrolean Peasants") reexamined historical narratives through a critical lens, blending activism with visual culture in the spirit of agitprop and counter-media. De Chirico’s interest in performance and ephemeral gestures led him naturally into conversation with the Fluxus movement, and through this circle, he established a working relationship with Francesco Conz. De Chirico contributed to Conz’s ambitious archive of experimental works, and his pieces often reflected the same ethos of directness, irreverence, and social critique that united Conz’s network of artists. In the 1980s, de Chirico opened a space known as the Kunstrampe in a 17th-century barn in Merano, transforming it into a meeting ground for artists and poets from the visual and concrete poetry scenes, including Eugenio Miccini, Sarenco, and Arrigo Lora Totino. The space served as both studio and exhibition site, playing a crucial role in regional artistic exchange. In 1986, de Chirico co-founded the group Kraftzellen – Cellule di Energia with artists such as Claudio Costa, Antonino Bove, and Igor Sacharov Ross. Their practice, grounded in collective energy and environmental awareness, contributed to the early editions of Arte Sella, and the group later presented work at documenta, reflecting the resonance of their ideas on an international stage. Jakob de Chirico’s works are held in major collections, including the Museion in Bolzano. His practice reflects a sustained commitment to politically infused art-making, grounded in the belief that artistic gestures—whether printed, performed, or shared—can serve as tools for social transformation.