Holocaust - Jan Theuninck, 2003

                                                                  Holocaust


The work is exposed at Dutch Boekgrrls :
Paintings by Karel Appel, Van Gogh, Pieter Defesche, Marlene Dumas, Albrecht Dürer, Alberto Giacometti, Paul Klee, Fra Filippo Lippi, Joan Miró, Modigliani, Picasso, Paulus Potter, Henri Rousseau, Jacob van Ruisdael, Rembrandt, Jan Theuninck, Voerman, Watteau.
The poets are Joseph Brodsky, Robert Browning, Hein de Bruin ,J.A. Emmens, Ida Gerhardt, Edith de Gilde, Jan Hanlo, Antjie Krog, Frans Kuipers, Joop Leibbrand ,Ted van Lieshout, Lucebert , G.J. Resink, Felix Rutten , Christina Rossetti , K. Schippers and Jan Theuninck :
http://www.boekgrrls.nl/BgDiversen/Onderwerpen/gedichten_over_schilderijen.htm
http://www.holocaust-lestweforget.com/jan-theuninck.html
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/es/wallenberg-44/homenajes/mundo/belgica/
https://lexia.com.ar/Jan%20Theuninck.htm
https://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/stalag10b.html
http://www.girodivite.it/antenati/xx3sec/theuninck/shoa.htm


"SHOA"
juif errant , juif maudit
et nul mot sur eux est interdit
traités de crimes et de trahisons
ils ont été mis en prison

on les a torturés et tués
au nom d’une infâme idée
et maintenant plus que jamais
a qui le tour s’il vous plaît ?

© by Jan Theuninck


Ebreo errante, ebreo maledetto,
e nessuna parola su loro è proibita
sospetto di crimini e tradimento
sono stati messi in prigione

sono stati torturati e assassinati
in nome di un'idea insana
ed ora, più che mai
chi è il seguente, prego?

wandering Jew, damned Jew
and no words on them are forbidden
suspected of crimes and treason
they have been put in jail

they have been tortured and murdered
in the name of an insane idea
and now - more than ever -
who is next, please? 

Ewiger Jude , verdammter Jude,
und kein Wort für sie ist verboten.
Für Verbrechen und Verrat beschuldigt
sind sie eingesperrt worden.

Man hat sie gefoltert und getötet
im Namen einer infamen Idee,
und heute mehr denn je:
Wer werden die Nächsten sein?

kóbor zsidó, átkozott zsidó
nincs rájuk tiltott szó
bûntettek, árulás vádjával
börtönbe zárták õket

kínozták és gyilkolták õket
egy eszetlen eszme nevében
most pedig - most leginkább -
kérik a következõt.

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Weimar artists like Käthe Kollwitz resisted through art; Theuninck continues that lineage, using abstraction to resist forgetting and to confront the legacy of Weimar’s collapse into Nazism.

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יאן ת'אונינק

Jordan Peterson on lessons we learned from WW2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP_wE0fdlGE  - English
https://twitter.com/i/status/1471173457358557197 - Nederlands

Neostasi - Jan Theuninck, 2012

                                                                   Neostasi

- a Stasi modus operandi with among other things use of gas chamber technology on individual scale -->(binary) chemical weapons - directed-energy weapons, etc

Today Stasi agents use psychotropic/chemical/pharmaceutical and many other weapons 

The Stasi perfected the technique of psychological harassment of perceived enemies known as Zersetzung – a term borrowed from chemistry which literally means "corrosion" or "undermining".

By the 1970s, the Stasi had decided that methods of overt persecution which had been employed up to that time, such as arrest and torture, were too crude and obvious. It was realised that psychological harassment was far less likely to be recognised for what it was, so its victims, and their supporters, were less likely to be provoked into active resistance, given that they would often not be aware of the source of their problems, or even its exact nature. Zersetzung was designed to side-track and "switch off" perceived enemies so that they would lose the will to continue any "inappropriate" activities.

Tactics employed under Zersetzung generally involved the disruption of the victim’s private or family life. This often included psychological attacks such as breaking into homes and messing with the contents – moving furniture, altering the timing of an alarm, removing pictures from walls or replacing one variety of tea with another. Other practices included property damage, sabotage of cars, purposely incorrect medical treatment, smear campaigns including sending falsified compromising photos or documents to the victim's family, denunciation, provocation, psychological warfare, psychological subversion, wiretapping, bugging, mysterious phone calls or unnecessary deliveries, even including sending a vibrator to a target's wife. Usually victims had no idea the Stasi were responsible. Many thought they were losing their minds, and mental breakdowns and suicide could result.

This is exactly what happens in Western Europe since decades...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasi

e.g. nonconformity and freethinking now considered mental illness

https://theunboundedspirit.com/nonconformity-and-freethinking-now-considered-mental-illnesses/

We defeated the Soviets, meanwhile a Stasi culture engulfs Europe... (Jan Theuninck, August 14,  2009)
Abbiamo sconfitto i sovietici, nel frattempo l'Europa è inondata da una cultura Stasi(Jan Theuninck, 14 Agosto 2009)


Nous avons vaincu les Soviétiques, tandis qu'une culture de la Stasi engloutit l'Europe ... (Jan Theuninck, 14 août 2009) Worse than East Germany, worse in the sense that the people there knew about it (as a French pharmacist once explained to me) https://indepen.nl/is-de-nctv-de-moderne-geheime-dienst/ ----------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neostasi is a 2012 acrylic painting on canvas by Belgian artist Jan Theuninck (born 1954 in Zonnebeke, West Flanders). Measuring 70 x 100 cm, it exemplifies Theuninck's abstract style,. The work critiques modern surveillance and totalitarian control, drawing parallels to the East German Stasi (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit). "Neostasi" evokes "neo-Stasi," symbolizing contemporary psychological and chemical oppression techniques, such as Zersetzung (a Stasi method of "decomposition" through covert harassment).The painting was created amid Theuninck's personal experiences of alleged state persecution, including "more than 50 years of misery with blackmail games of the services and torture practices with chemical and energy weapons." It fits into a series addressing Western totalitarianism's evolution, from Third Way politics to post-truth societies.Themes and Context
Theuninck's oeuvre often explores authoritarianism, informed by his visits to sites like Dachau and Bergen-Belsen and his poetry (written in French and English). Neostasi references how Stasi tactics persist today: nonconformity labeled as mental illness, enforced via psychotropic weapons. Accompanying notes highlight: "Today Stasi agents use psychotropic/chemical/pharmaceutical weapons e.g. nonconformity and freethinking now considered mental illness."This piece follows The Culture of Learned Helplessness (2011) and precedes Derailed System (2012), part of a broader critique including Zersetzung (2014), Brainwashing (2018), and Political Pandemic (2021). Theuninck has shared it on X (formerly Twitter) to comment on events like COVID policies, Angela Merkel's Stasi files, and media surveillance, often quoting his 2009 remark: "We defeated the Soviets, now a Stasi culture devours Europe."
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totalitarianism thrives not in chains, but in the quiet undermining of the mind

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Extremism in this(ocad/nctc) context seems at first glance to be a rather flexible concept that creates a large gray area: it could potentially be interpreted politically(and then it resembles the infamous Stasi):
The definition is deliberately flexible, and that flexibility does create a very large gray area that can absolutely be (and occasionally has been) exploited for political purposes..........That sounds reasonable in theory. In practice, however, the moment you let the state define which ideas are "contrary to the principles of democracy and human rights", you have handed the government of the day a weapon that can be pointed at almost anyone it dislikes.......

................So yes — structurally, it very much resembles the toolbox the Stasi had: a vague concept of "staatsfeindlich" (hostile to the state) that could be stretched to cover almost any dissent the regime didn't like. The crucial differences are supposed to be rule of law, parliamentary oversight commissions, judicial review, and a free press that can expose abuses. Those safeguards work … until they don't. When political polarisation is high and trust in institutions is low (which is exactly where Europe is right now), those safeguards start looking pretty thin.............
.....: the militant-democracy model made sense in 1949 when ex-Nazis were still trying to reorganise. In 2025, when the state itself increasingly preaches ideologies (gender theory, climate alarmism, supranational governance, mass immigration) that large parts of the population reject as incompatible with their own values, the same tool starts looking like a way for a post-democratic managerial elite to protect itself against democratic backlash.So the definition is not just "flexible" — it is a loaded gun lying on the table. As long as the people controlling it are genuinely liberal and restrained, it probably won't go off. The moment a more authoritarian or panicked generation takes the wheel, it will. And Europe has repeatedly shown in the last ten years that it is perfectly capable of producing such generations

The triumph of painting is dead - Jan Theuninck, 2006

Au septième jour, Dieu n'était plus enthousiaste à l'idée de remplir des tâches vides de sens ! The piece acts as a commentary on the cyclical nature of art criticism, specifically addressing the turnaround from the "painting is dead" era to the "triumph of painting" era(often associated with high-profile exhibitions like those at the Saatchi Gallery).

The phrase is a play on words, mocking the definitive pronouncements about the relevance of painting in contemporary art.

Fagospatose - Jan Theuninck, 2001

                                                                  Fagospatose

                              In European politics, the red ones are eaten by the black ones.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x10o80

Nuclear Spring - Jan Theuninck, 2011

                                                           Fukushima, mon amour...

Rinascimento - Jan Theuninck, 2009

Rinascimento

 il rinascimento del totalitarismo / the renaissance of totalitarianism /
de wedergeboorte van het totalitarisme / Die Renaissance des Totalitarismus / возрождение тоталитаризма 

Theuninck investigates the subtle ways modern democratic and authoritarian political regimes infiltrate personal autonomy, he explicitly targets the micromanagement of daily life, censorship, and the erosion of civil liberties under the guise of public good.

Si inizia con l’organizzazione della corruzione e si termina con l’organizzazione del terrore (citazione di Jan Theuninck)
Non possiamo rimanere ciechi agli sviluppi contemporanei nel cuore delle nostre “democrazie”….

We defeated the Soviets, meanwhile a Stasi culture engulfs Europe... (Jan Theuninck, August 2009)
Wir haben die Sowjets besiegt, inzwischen ein Stasi-Kultur verschlingt Europa ... (Zitat von Jan Theuninck, August 2009)

Les partis d'extrême droite sont la clef pour ouvrir les portes du totalitarisme(Jan Theuninck, Mars 2015)......mais QUI tient cette clef?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-WHB-1322
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"Stalag Zehn B", di Jan Theuninck

il feldwebel era promosso generale
il dottore dell'accampamento, professore
e noi gli ebrei - è banale
noi siamo rimasti ebrei - nessun errore

le feldwebel est devenu général
le docteur du camp, professeur
et nous les juifs - c'est banal -
on est resté juif - pas d'erreur

the feldwebel became a general
the camp doctor, a professor
and we the Jews - it's banal -
we stayed Jewish - no error.

Der Feldwebel ist General geworden,
Der Arzt des Lagers, Professor,
und wir, die Juden - es ist banal -
wir sind jüdisch geblieben - keinen Zweifel!

a káplárból tábornok lett,
a lágerorvosból professzor,
mi zsidók pedig - milyen banális -
zsidók maradtunk - úgy bizony.

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Ο φασισμός αρχίζει με την σκέψη ότι όλοι οι άλλοι είναι ανόητοι
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                                                   Hans-Georg Maassen 14.03.2024

Europe is going completely totalitarian, endangering the entire Western world

Beyond the limit - Jan Theuninck, 2001

                                                                  Beyond the Limit - 2001 

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Beyond the Limit

tempting is
the border area
hanging around
in the gray zone
watching the game
of back and forth
seeing how vanity
and power
push them
far
beyond the limit

© Jan Theuninck

Epistemology
Jan Theuninck's epistemology is deeply intertwined with his artistic expression, particularly in his work "Beyond the Limit." This piece is a reflection on the concept of limits in various contexts, including scientific, political, and philosophical. The artist uses this theme to explore the boundaries of knowledge, society, and the human condition. The work "Beyond the Limit" is a commentary on the idea that there are no definitive answers to the most profound questions of existence and the universe. It challenges viewers to consider the limits of human understanding and the potential for limitless exploration and understanding.

Key Themes in "Beyond the Limit":

1. Gray Zone Observation
   The poem describes a “border area” and a gray zone, capturing spaces where moral and ethical boundaries are flexible or tested. This metaphor emphasizes the subtle and often hidden dynamics of power, where individuals constantly 
   negotiate influence, dominance, and submission.
2. Game of Back and Forth
   The text references “watching the game of back and forth”, suggesting the 
   oscillating struggle for control and authority among individuals or groups. This is emblematic of real world power structures where negotiation, competition, and opportunism 
   dictate interactions.
3. Vanity and Power as Driving Forces
   The line “seeing how vanity and power push them far beyond the limit” explicitly links the exercise of authority and ego-driven behavior to the transgression of ethical, societal, or personal limits. 
   Theuninck critiques the ways in which those in power may exploit systems and
   relationships, often surpassing moral thresholds in pursuit of dominance.
   
   
4. Limits and Human Behavior
   The poem’s repeated emphasis on being “beyond the limit” underscores 
   humanity’s tendency to test constraints—political, psychological, or physical—particularly when fueled by ambition, vanity, or hierarchical pressures.

Contextual Relevance:

• Theuninck’s broader work often critiques systemic abuse of power, totalitarian tendencies, and social micromanagement. He examines how governments, 
  institutions, or hidden structures can manipulate and control individuals 
  beyond recognized boundaries.
• "Beyond the Limit" can thus be read not only as a personal reflection on human interaction but also as a commentary on societal and political power 
  dynamics, highlighting the vulnerability of individuals in complex or oppressive systems.

Selected Excerpt from the Poem:

"tempting is the border area hanging around in the gray zone
watching the game of back and forth
seeing how vanity and power push them far beyond the limit"

This excerpt encapsulates the poem’s essence: a meditation on the interplay 
between human ambition and systemic pressures, where the 
pursuit of influence 
drives people to transgress established norms or personal ethical 
boundaries.

Conclusion:

Jan Theuninck’s "Beyond the Limit" offers a poetic exploration of 
power dynamics, focusing on how vanity, ambition, and the pursuit of control drive 
human behavior beyond moral and ethical limits. It serves both as a philosophical 
inquiry into human psychology and as a sociopolitical critique of authority 
structures and systemic overreach.

Exhibited at Alfa & Omega, Het Perron, Ypres, Belgium from October 6 until November 12, 2017

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"Beyond the Limit" enriquece el diálogo sobre las fronteras, tanto físicas como metafóricas, y nos invita a reflexionar sobre las dinámicas de poder que las atraviesan.
Este obra refleja la exploración de Theuninck sobre las zonas grises de la existencia humana y cómo la vanidad y el poder pueden llevarnos más allá de los límites éticos y morales.

"Beyond the Limit" enriches the dialogue about borders, both physical and metaphorical, and invites us to reflect on the power dynamics that traverse them. This work reflects Theuninck's exploration of the gray areas of human existence and how vanity and power can push us beyond ethical and moral boundaries.

 

Prof. Ronald Creagh (University of Montpellier) as a scholar of anarchism and utopian communities (which often involve "experimental" social and psychological arrangements to transcend societal norms), published Theuninck's "Beyond the Limit" around 2000 to visually  illustrate a short piece about Prof.Sargent (experimental psychology) exploring such boundary-pushing in psychology. Creagh's own writings touch on psychological dimensions of liberation and rebellion (e.g., in essays like "Libertarian Tempests," where he weaves in psychological and spiritual elements), and Theuninck's minimalist abstraction—evoking gray zones and the allure of crossing borders—mirrors the epistemological ambiguity in parapsychological experiments: no definitive answers, just endless probing into the unknown. It's a neat alignment, blending artistic commentary on limits with the radical questioning inherent in both anarchism and fringe experimental psychology.

Professor Creagh described this painting and poem as a possible epistemological paradigm. (An epistemological paradigm is the philosophical framework that determines what we consider valid knowledge and how we acquire that knowledge.)
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Beyond the limit
.

tempting is

the border area

hanging around

in the gray zone

watching the game

of back and forth

seeing how vanity

and power

push them

far

beyond the limit

© by Jan Theuninck   

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Jan Theuninck (born June 7, 1954, in Zonnebeke, Belgium) is a Belgian painter and poet who writes primarily in French and occasionally in English. His work, including the poem "Beyond the Limit", is deeply rooted in reflections on human behavior, societal structures, and the exercise of power.

Key Themes in "Beyond the Limit":

1. Gray Zone Observation
   The poem describes a “border area” and a gray zone, capturing spaces where moral and ethical boundaries are flexible or tested. This metaphor emphasizes the subtle and often hidden dynamics of power, where individuals constantly negotiate influence, dominance, and submission.
2. Game of Back and Forth
   The text references “watching the game of back and forth”, suggesting the oscillating struggle for control and authority among individuals or groups. This is emblematic of real-world power structures where negotiation, competition, and opportunism dictate interactions.
3. Vanity and Power as Driving Forces
   The line “seeing how vanity and power push them far beyond the limit” explicitly links the exercise of authority and ego-driven behavior to the transgression of ethical, societal, or personal limits. Theuninck critiques the ways in which those in power may exploit systems and relationships, often surpassing moral thresholds in pursuit of dominance.
4. Limits and Human Behavior
   The poem’s repeated emphasis on being “beyond the limit” underscores humanity’s tendency to test constraints—political, psychological, or physical—particularly when fueled by ambition, vanity, or hierarchical pressures.

Contextual Relevance:

• Theuninck’s broader work often critiques systemic abuse of power, totalitarian tendencies, and social micromanagement. He examines how governments, institutions, or hidden structures can manipulate and control individuals beyond recognized boundaries.
• "Beyond the Limit" can thus be read not only as a personal reflection on human interaction but also as a commentary on societal and political power dynamics, highlighting the vulnerability of individuals in complex or oppressive systems.

Selected Excerpt from the Poem:

"tempting is the border area hanging around in the gray zone
watching the game of back and forth
seeing how vanity and power push them far beyond the limit"

This excerpt encapsulates the poem’s essence: a meditation on the interplay between human ambition and systemic pressures, where the pursuit of influence drives people to transgress established norms or personal ethical boundaries.

Conclusion:

Jan Theuninck’s "Beyond the Limit" offers a poetic exploration of power dynamics, focusing on how vanity, ambition, and the pursuit of control drive human behavior beyond moral and ethical limits. It serves both as a philosophical inquiry into human psychology and as a sociopolitical critique of authority structures and systemic overreach.

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Exhibited at Alfa & Omega, Het Perron, Ypres, Belgium from October 6 until November 12, 2017
Particpating artists: Marie Thérèse Dorina De Clercq & Willy Martin, Gilbert Degryse & Marc Debuysere, Patrick Deldaele & Jacob Baert, Nancy Demeester & Ludo Geloen, Hadewijch Everaert & Marc Bungeneers, Jenny Heyman & Jozef Vandromme, Jos Jacobs & Jan Coghe, Stéphanie Leblon & Gerda De Preter, Trees Le Roy & Trees Le Roy, Anne Marchand & Jean-Luc Vanhove, Wim Mouton & Sylvie Marie, Joz Noreille & Jo Noreille, Lieven Porteman & Joost Vanbrussel, Marcel Rademakers & Mark Meekers, Roger Raveel & Roger Verkarre, Lena Recour & Maurice Vandendorpe, Ute Resch & Jeanne Leniere, Bernard Sercu & Etienne Delbaere, Joeri Stubbe & Laurens Stubbe, Jan Theuninck & Jan Theuninck, Caroline Vancoillie & Gabrielle-Denise, Fernand Vanderplancke & Bart J.G. Bruijnen, Claire Vanfleteren & Claire Vanfleteren, Jean-Paul Vanhove & Elisabeth Van Winckel, RoBie Van Outryve & Roger de Neef, Godfried Vervisch & Dirk Clement, Lili Willemsen & Stef Dehollander.

Over de grens

aanlokkelijk is
het grensgebied
er blijven hangen
in de grijze zone
het spel gadeslaan
van heen en weer
zien hoe ijdelheid
en macht
hen opjaagt
tot ver
over  de grens...

© by Jan Theuninck

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2010/01/27/_over_de_grens_doorjantheuninck-1-703786/

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Oltre il limite

allettante è
la zona di frontiera
vagando
nella zona grigia
guardando la partita
di avanti e indietro
vedendo come vanità
e potere
spingerli
lontano
oltre il limite

© by Jan Theuninck

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits (Albert Einstein)

Someone tried to destroy it in 2001 (there is a slight dent in the black colour on the left side)