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A grand hotel on the edge of the abyss? The phrase that provided
the title and the agenda for steirischer herbst '19-Grand Hotel
Abyss came from the pen of the philosopher Georg Lukacs. In the
early 1930's he used this striking metaphor to describe the
attitude of the European intellectual and cultural scene who
continued to party in an uninhibited, hedonistic manner, despite
the looming rise of fascism. Doomsday scenarios viewed from a snug
sofa, along with the culinary and cultural comfort zones known as
"Genusshauptstadte" (pleasure capitals), demonstrate that the
apocalypse can be shaped in a thoroughly pleasant and exciting
manner today. This reader, accompanying the 52nd edition of the
steirischer herbst, tracks these observations and explores the
actual relevance of this historical context, as well as the
significance of critical artistic attitudes, in essays, artists'
texts, and numerous illustrations. Every year for a month,
steirischer herbst, the oldest interdisciplinary festival of
contemporary art in Europe, turns the city of Graz and the province
of Styria in Austria into a parcours of installative and
performative works. Since 1968, the festival has offered a platform
for public debates, critical positions, and dialogues between the
arts.
Contemporary art has produced its own "bubble" and often barely
reaches the general public-this self-isolation is its blind spot.
Why does the implicit idea still persist that avant-garde art is a
matter for the few? Why don't curators try harder to break out of
their own comfort zone? This was precisely the intention behind the
2021 edition of steirischer herbst: The Way Out offered a
curatorial sketch for a way of working outdoors, in public space,
where an audience beyond the "bubble" can be found. This catalogue
shows how performances and artistic interventions in the middle of
the city can create meaningful experiences for everyone.
Contemporary art, as well as our society in general, is - according
to the diagnosis of the interdisciplinary art festival steirischer
herbst '21 - in a dead end. The Way Out of... features texts by
international contributors to the festival's discussion program
that outlines ways out of the white cube, failed political art, and
an unrestrained digital capitalism, and shows new paths for climate
justice, a more critical race theory, and new activists. Accessible
and pointedly written, this reader offers rich food for thought on
the multiple crises of our times.
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