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.