11 September 2024  The annual festival 'steirischer herbst', directed again by Ekaterina Degot, presented yesterday at a press conference in Graz the program of this year's edition under the title 'Horror Patriae', which translates from Latin as 'Horror of the Country', developed out of love for the homeland with critical views on the rise of nationalism. The month-long festival, which runs from September 19 to October 13, will take place at various venues in Graz, Austria, including museums, public spaces, and a fashion department store. This year's focus is on exploring themes of nationalism, folklore and modern society through contemporary art, performances, artist talks and cabaret shows. Steirischer Herbst '24 features over 400 events that challenge traditional narratives of nationhood and identity. Fashion at had a look at the already on https://www.steirischerherbst.at/ published program for fashion related events. Critical view on trachten (traditional costumes) at the exhibition 'Horror Patriae' The centerpiece of the festival is the exhibition 'Horror Patriae' at the Neue Galerie Graz, a critical reinterpretation of the national museum concept, which will be on view from September 20, 2024 to February 16, 2025. One of the outstanding contributions is by Michèle Pagel with her sculptures 'White Trash Bag' #1 and #2 (2023). These concrete-filled garbage bags, dressed in corset-like traditional boy and girl folk costumes - tailored for the sculptures in steel, convey a dystopian view of rural folk culture. Pagel critiques the resurgence of nationalist and identitarian ideologies, using the 'white trash' metaphor to question the purity and innocence often associated with "pastoral landscape' such as expressed in the introduction. Combining brutalist and caricature elements, her work warns against the political appropriation of rural identity for xenophobic purposes. Performance highlight 'Wanderlust Warenhaus' by Thomas Verstraeten at the fashion department store Kastner & Öhler Another notable event is Thomas Verstraeten's "Wanderlust Warenhaus" (2024), a performance that transforms Kastner & Öhler, Graz's largest fashion department store, into a simulated mountain landscape. Verstraeten blurs the line between nature and consumerism, inviting the audience to experience the paradoxes of modern life through an immersive soundscape of natural elements such as birdsong and rivers juxtaposed with the commercial space of the store. It's announced that performers will inhabit this artificial wilderness, playfully engaging with the space and critiquing nostalgic notions of nature as part of national identity building. This performance, which combines visual, sound design and performing arts, will premiere on October 12th. The above-mentioned artworks in the main exhibition and the performance in the fashion store offer a fresh, critical perspective on the themes of identity, nationalism, and the complex relationship between nature and commerce in contemporary society. Images courtesy of steirischer herbst, from right: Ekaterina Degot, director and chief curator of the 57th edition of the festival 'steirischer herbst', titled 'Horror Patriae', which will take place from September 19 to October 13, 2024 in Graz, the capital of the Austrian state of Styria. Photo: Marija-M. Kanižaj. On the left: Michèle Pagel 'White Trash Bag #2 (Infantin)', (Infanta, 2023). Photo: Brandstaetter-Foundation, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna. |
|
|