What exactly are Joseph Zehrer?s Orders [= Der Auftrag]? And who has issued them? The video of that title shows the artist executing some kind of performance. In a frontal camera shot, we see him standing behind a table, facing us. The frame cuts off his face and shows only the upper body from waist to shoulders. The focus is on the hands. They reach for a plate, silverware and a candle. But it is not food that is being served here; on the menu are the protagonist?s hands. Prepared with oil and seasonings, they are flamb?ed and then quickly extinguished. Zehrer?s actions have a strong ritualistic character, which is only reinforced by the fact that Der Auftrag takes place in a theatrical context. All that remains behind after the performance is the plate with a used napkin, just as if someone had eaten a meal. The title of the work suggests a trivial transcendence, such as in the pictures H?here Wesen befehlen [Higher Beings Command] by Sigmar Polke.

Joseph Zehrer?s work is primarily conceptual. In addition to works on paper, his oeuvre also includes objects, environments and discursive actions. The video work Der Auftrag follows in the tradition of the performance art of the 1960s and 70s, also making clear reference to Viennese Actionism. [DK]