“In these present times of uncertainty and rising fascism, this edition of Steirischer Herbst didn’t attempt to comfort viewers, but rather proposeddouble-edged expressions of catharsis for how to deal with the past—to commemorate or to discharge it?—when it seems doomed to repeat itself.”
Artforum, December ’18
“Given our “post-fascist” contemporary terrain, the question remains: On what common ground might a united front be imagined, and what sort of collective future could it invent? The Festival seemed to imply that the answers would be found in new modes that are as paradoxical as the contemporary condition itself.”
Artforum, December ’18
“To begin with, these works engage with right-wing populism, that is not only rampant in Europe, and its phraseology, going on to oppose these developments.”
Camera Austria International, Dec. 18, on the works for Volksfronten. (article in German)
“Themed around the notion of “Volksfronten” steirischer herbst under its new director Ekaterina Degot takes a resolute stance against the right wing.”
Theater der Zeit, Dec. 18 (article in German)
“Archeology and Ambivalence at Austria’s Steirischer Herbst Festival.”
MOMUS, 2.11.18
“This coverage not only testifies to the tremendous importance of steirischer herbst for Graz as a cultural site, but also proves how quickly an art event can achieve international significance when the right stage is available.”
Kulturzeitung 80, Nov. 18 (article in German)
“No matter where I go across Germany, and now Austria, I always find these 90s objects; there is a shared history that is still visible in aesthetics. It’s such a particular language, and I really see fascism in the furniture. I see something evil: it’s as if something I can establish as evil lies in these everyday objects.”
studio international, 30.10.18
“In the current wake of neoconservative tendencies, it has become common among curators to redefine the notion of 'popular' in opposition to the idea of 'national.'”
Flash Art International, 24.10.18
“Going Both Fronts. Ekaterina Degot In Conversation.”
BLOK, 19.10.18
“As colorful as the stories of life itself or allegorical Yiddish folk narratives: tales of justice and desire, truth and politics, economy and machinations. In a word, then, all that we expect from art in the way of explanation about everything. Superb!”
tanz.at, 14.10.18 about Touching on Everything by Michael Portnoy (article in German)
“But not only does Portnoy skillfully pit the concepts and ideas against each other, he does so with the exaggerated devices of post-dramatic performances—thus staging an evening that prompts both laughter and reflection. One of the best herbst theater productions in recent years.”
Kronen Zeitung, 14.10.18 about Touching on Everything by Michael Portnoy
“With her “Volksfronten” program, Degot has demonstrated her keen sense of the need to discuss current political polarizations and and hereby seemingly garnered the festival a new audience.“
Kleine Zeitung, 13.10.18 (article in German)
“But if the herbst team stays true to their ideas about repoliticization, openess and good communication, we can expect to see many fascinating things in the years to come.“
Kronen Zeitung, 13.10.18 (article in German)
“Which function may a cynical art serve today, when reality has become its own cynical self-parody? If recent years have taught us anything it is that the new far right, with its horror cabinet of grotesque lead characters, is fully immune to parody.”
Kunstkritikk, 11.10.18
“More than just a return of the repressed, this year’s iteration of the festival, entitled 'Volksfronten'—or people’s front, a queering of populist slogans—seeks to address the troubling return of repressive regimes today.”
Art Agenda, 9.10.18
“Neujahrskonzert hasn't been this exciting and challenging in a long time.”
Kronen Zeitung, 9.10.18 (article in German)
“The very engaged artist relentlessly presents the program of his 'Intelligence Party', a party that on the one hand entails the humanist demand for the right to vote for foreigners whilst also underpinning this demand with right-wing arguments such as deep love of one's homeland. sounds very paradoxical indeed - yet: in the discussion revolving around post-colonialism, for example, 'nationalism as a legitimate anti-colonial resistance movement' (Varela/Dhawan) is repeatedly discussed. The fact that steirischer herbst discusses contradictions like these in different artistic forms underlines the festival’s urgency this year.”
artmagazine, 8.10.18 (article in German)
“What music is this? Driven by countless inputs. The categories of good and bad appear ineffective. Is it serious or tongue-in-cheek. Alien and yet strangely familiar. Disconcerting.”
Deutschlandfunk, 8.10.18 about Land der Musik – ein Neujahrskonzert by Christian von Borries (article in German)
Art should reinvent itself in order to oppose contemporary right-wing populism.”
Politiken, 7.10.18 (article in Danish)
“Today, with the western world witnessing a re-legitimation of extremist politics, the festival has taken on a new sense of urgency.”
The Sidney Morning Herald, 5.10.18
“The steirischer herbst parcours ‚Volksfronten‘ explores the pitfalls of the homely homeland in Graz.”
Kleine Zeitung, 5.10.18 (article in German)
“We went on an art trip to Graz.”
Athinorama, 5.10.18 (article in Greek)
“VOLKSFRONTEN, Steirischerherbst '18 - Those who feel disoriented here have reached the ideal state of knowledge.”
Reflektor M, 2.10.18 (article in German)
“With the provocative title Volksfronten, steirischer herbst (established in 1968) humorously takes on fascism and nationalism. Graz is the perfect backdrop for this endeavour.”
Metropolis M, 2.10.18 (article in Dutch)
“My Favourite Things. Steirischer Herbst 2018 – Volksfronten”
BLOK, 1.10.18
“Festival in Graz takes on ’Our Little Fascisms’”
Newsweek Polska (article in Polish)
“We have witnessed a successful new start, which bodes well for 2019 and after.”
Fazit, Oktober 18 (article in German)
“A fascinating and touching insight into the flexibility of identities and self-image in a globalized present.”
Kleine Zeitung about Nicoline von Harskamp's „Mein Name ist Sprache“, 29.9.18 (article in German)
“Titled Volksfronten, it considers the historical conditions that have nested the 'little fascisms' present across an increasingly xenophobic Central and Eastern Europe, with newly commissioned installations by 30 artists and groups spread out across the city, along with performances, symposia, and panel discussions.”
Ocula, Asien/Pazifik-Region, Interview with Ekaterina Degot, 29.9.18
“Swastikas are getting destroyed: Japanese artist agitates Austria.”
BBC Russia, Russia, 29.9.18 (article in Russian)
“Ahogy próbáljuk összerakni a dolgokat – Steirischer Herbst, Graz.”
Artportal, Hungary, 29.9.18 (article in Hungarian)
“‚Hier war ich noch nie’ is an intimate micro performance that impressively expands the genre of theatre without resorting to big spectacle. As the taxi shifts into third gear you are off to a phenomenal adventure, experiencing different slices of life.”
Salzburger Nachrichten about Theater im Bahnhof „Hier war ich noch nie“, 28.9.18 (article in German)
“Previously best known as a theater festival, Steirischer Herbst, which runs through Oct. 18, has appointed its first non-German-speaking director and is now redefining itself as an international art event.”
The New York Times, USA, 28.9.18
“Feel like staging a coup? A revolution? Graz, the opulent capital of Styria – the Southern county of Austria – and second biggest city after Vienna, invites you for artistic revolt.”
Libération, Frankreich, 28.9.18 (article in French)
“Art festival steirischer herbst”
RTVSLO, 27.9.18 (article in Slovenian)
“Volksfronten, is the provocative program title of steirischer herbst festival, which opened last week in Graz under its new artistic director Ekaterina Degot. The festival has reinvented itself as a highly political art event. (...). Astonishing is how closely the program of the new, Russian-born director director interweaves with the current situation in Graz, how local and universal meanings charge one another, sometimes quiet and fleetingly, sometimes hardened and monumental (...).”
Der Freitag, Deutschland, 27.9.18 (article in German)
“Ekaterina Degot as the new artistic director of Steirischer Herbst shows political art in her first edition under the title 'Volksfronten'.”
3sat Kulturzeit, Deutschland, 27.9.18 (article in German)
“The audience is tangled up in their own contradictions by steirischer herbst, which goes on to question how comfortable they are in their own position.”
Falter, 27.9.18 (article in German)
“The artist and the festival's director, Ekaterina Degot, have been heavily criticized for 'Withdrawing Hitler'. For Degot, this is a sign that the program of this year's edition is completely tapping into the current Zeitgeist. In her opening speech, she emphasised that the theme 'Volksfronten' was intended to disturb and deliberately provoke people in their comfort zones. Therefore, a large part of this year's edition of 'steirischer herbst' will take place in the public space.”
Der Spiegel, Deutschland, 27.9.18 (article in German)
“Milica Tomić presents her new work 'Exhibiting on a Trowel's Edge' during the steirischer herbst festival in Graz.”
Radio Belgrade, Serbien, Interview mit Milica Tomic, 26.9.18 (article in Bosnian)
“Laibach is provocative even when it does not want to be. This is the audiences’ expectation and they fulfill it themselves. One thing remains puzzling, though – the laughter at the statement of Austria being a fascist country. How to stay provocative, when people stop taking you seriously.”
Delo, Slowenien, 26.9.18 (article in Slovenian)
“The traces left behind by steirischer herbst on the face of Graz under the new director Ekaterina Degot are clear for all to see. While recent years were marked by a sense of hermetical seclusion, an insideness, we are now seeing a clear sign for the visibility of the festival to everyone in Graz. The opening itself was a procession that traversed a part of the city, and the herbst is now present in almost all areas of town.”
gat.st, 26.9.18 (article in German)
“Curator: 'All art is political'”
SVT, Schweden, Interview mit Ekaterina Degot, 25.9.18 (article in Swedish)
“Steirischer herbst conquers the entire city.“
Österreich, 25.9.18 (article in German)
“By means of this minimalist performance, Vandevelde and his dramaturg Kristof van Baarle have achieved an extraordinarily accomplished fusion with verbal and poetic visualization of dramatic elements, augmenting their effect.“
tanz.at, 25.9.18 on Human Landscapes by Michiel Vandevelde (article in German)
“A festival that continues the collaborative spirit of its founders, while focusing on international wideness and local depth.”
DOMUS, Italien, Interview mit Ekaterina Degot, 25.9.18 (article in Italian)
“She not only brings Russian know-how to this festival, which which takes place closely to the now widely opened borders of the former Eastern Bloc, more so than any other art festival. Degot is also the switch of this festival, which traditionally has been open to all branches of the arts: instead of the theatre productions that were the hallmark of the festival under Degot's predecessor, Veronika Kaup-Hasler, the focus has now shifted to visual art.”
Basler Zeitung, Schweiz, 24.9.18 (article in German)
“Artists take on Austria’s nationalist heritage.”
SVT, Schweden, Interviews mit Henrike Naumann, Yoshinori Nina und Milica Tomić, 24.9.18 (article in Swedish)
“The first year under her artistic direction also brought on an initial small revolution. Instead of the previous tradition of having one sizeable main exhibition, this year’s edition will feature large-scale, complex installations, which will be spread all throughout the city. These installations were commissioned by steirischer herbst. Dispersed quality over. A concept that works.”
news.orf.at, 24.9.18 (article in German)
“The first program which was put together in a hurry, does not have to meet all of the requirements yet. After all, in recent years comparable experiments - concerning the interdisciplinarity or the political vigilance - on larger stages such as the Documenta or the Berliner Volksbühne have failed to satisfy critics. In Graz, albeit on a smaller scale, steirischer herbst might just be succeeding in something that Kassel, Berlin or Athens were not yet ready for.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Deutschland, 23.9.18 (article in German)
“With its new edition which presents predominantly commissioned works, steirischer herbst succeeds in taking on ideologically charged moments of historicism and their incisions into the present, while daring to make a cut through the topology of the city that forces the potential of art as a trope of research with all its mechanisms of distortion.”
artmagazine.cc, 23.9.18 (article in German)
“Meeting the Slovenian concept totalitarians of Laibach again was worth every metre of altitude.”
Der Standard, 22.9.18 (article in German)
“The program has been streamlined with a more narrow focus on in-house productions, the festival's habitus is much more edgy and political than it was last time.“
Wiener Zeitung, 22.9.18 (article in German)
“Beauty meets horror, shock meets humor. In their great horror ‘Heimat’-film installation, which was made in collaboration with multi-media artist Alexander Martinz, the performance duo Kozek Hörlonski show idyllic Austrian locales inhabited by sinister figures, such as psychopaths, vampires and zombies.“
Die Presse, 21.9.18 (article in German)
“The 'Volksfronten' parcours, curated by director Ekaterina Degot and her team for their first steirischer herbst, consists of various contributions. They are all wise statements on current political developments.”
Kronen Zeitung, 21.9.18 (article in German)
“The controversial Slovenian band Laibach played on the opening night of steirischer herbst in Graz; their unforgettable performance greatly contributed tot he questioning of European fascism.”
Večer, Slowenien, 21.9.18 (article in Slovenian)
“Culture festival steirischer herbst explores art's role in the right-wing landscape.”
SVT, Schweden, Interviews mit Ekaterina Degot, Lars Cuzner und Ivan Novak, 21.9.18 (article in Swedish)
“steirischer herbst is in town.”
RTV SLO, Slowenien, Interviews mit Ekaterina Depot und Ivan Novak, 21.9.18 (article in Slovenian)
“A courageous decision (…)”
Athinorama, Griechenland, 20.9.18 (article in Greek)
“It's a festival like an art curator does (...) When a city is explored for three weeks like this, I think it'll work out.”
Deutschlandradio, 20.9.18 (article in German)