Nature Theater of Oklahoma & Elfriede Jelinek, “Die Kinder der Toten”, 2017, Photo: Ditz Fejer
I was in the village of Neuberg an der Mürz, talking to the Steirischer Herbst festival director Veronica Kaup-Hasler when a car in the field behind her exploded and caught fire. Luckily, the dramatic event was part of a movie shooting. The movie, the result of a collaboration between The Nature Theater of Oklahoma for Europe and local volunteers, is based on the novel “Die Kinder der Toten” (The Children of the Dead). The 1995 novel was written by Nobel Prize recipient, novelist, playwright, and poet Elfriede Jelinek (of “The Piano Teacher” fame). Exploring the horror of the holocaust and the suppressed memories thereof, the intricate and lengthy novel is considered by many to be her masterpiece. Over the three weekends of shooting, a continuous reading of the novel was organized, which anyone could sign up for and attend. By giving pride of place to a writer who is often considered controversial (thanks to her social criticism and caustic writing), the tone was set for the 50th edition of the Austrian Steirischer Herbst festival. This festival exists to push boundaries and broaden horizons. The whole weekend felt serious and exhilarating at once.
Nature Theater of Oklahoma & Elfriede Jelinek, “Die Kinder der Toten”, 2017, Photo: Ditz Fejer
A highlight of the festival was the dark but instantly gripping exhibition “Prometheus Unbound” at the Neue Galerie Graz. The show was inspired by the Greek myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus to give it to humankind, and was consequently condemned to have his liver eaten daily by an eagle. Comprised of installations, photography, drawings, and video works by various artists, curator by Luigi Fassi questioned the prevalence of Eurocentric cultural filters (as originated by the myth of Prometheus), and echoed the theme of this year festival “Where are we now?”. “Eu, mestiço” (Me, a mestizo, 2017) by Jonathas De Andrade — a powerful series of photographic portraits taken in Northern Brazil — was one of the strongest works on show. The subjects of the piece reenacted photos from a 1952 UNESCO study on race and class, which involved showing local people photos of white, black, and mixed-raced Brazilians, and asking them to qualify their attractiveness, presumed ethics, and morality. Exploring the prejudices around skin colour and physical appearances is a central theme in De Andrade’s work, and one he handles deftly.
Prometheus Unbound (Herbst exhibition), 2017, Opening night/ Room Jonathas de Andrade.
Blowing audiences’ minds in a succession of daring, gross, and athletic naked acts, Florentina Holzinger and five other performers presented “Apollon Musagète” at the Dom Im Berg. The show took its name from choreographer George Balanchine’s coming-of-age ballet where the Greek god Apollo is visited by three muses. The all-female cast revolved around a slow-motion mechanical bull, against a background of cumuli (a reference to Mount Olympus, perhaps?). The storyline was interspersed with thrill-seeking stunts (swallowing swords, inserting long nails through nostrils, lifting weights in cadence, defecating, and perforating skin), along with grotesque situations and screamed dialogue. Ultimately, it was the apparent comfort of the performers, as well as their nonchalant nakedness, that glued the show together. Beyond the simple idea of freak show, the performers’ ease allowed the audience to connect with the humanity of the characters.
Florentina Holzinger, “Apollon Musagète”, 2017, Photo: Radovan Dranga
Kunsthaus Graz was showing “Graz Architecture”: a collection of models and documentation on works by seven Graz-based architects. Talking to the Lê Brothers (the artistic duo from Vietnam) about the appeal of the Austrian landscape, they enthused: “There is so much space here.” It was a sentiment which came back to me inside Kunsthaus Graz, often referred to as “the blue bubble”, as I was looking at the emblematic Clock Tower in the distance. I realised how smoothly the streets of Graz blend centuries of formal architecture. Now in its fiftieth year, Steirischer Herbst embodies the same sense of endurance and smooth transitions through history. On the one hand, it revisits local issues and concerns, but on the other it is also renewing itself, and opening up to other issues by inviting European and international acts. Happy fiftieth, Steirischer Herbst!
Tianzhuo Chen, “An Atypical Brain Damage”, 2017, Photo: Peiyu Shen