Ekaterina Degot

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 Lukács. 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 “Genusshauptstädte” (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.

What is the role of the “popular” in a time of rising right-wing populism? How to resist or subvert these increasingly aggressive framings of “the people”? How to engage with all these tangled histories and uncertain futures? Such are the questions at the heart of the 51st edition of steirischer herbst, a major interdisciplinary festival of contemporary art in Europe, held every autumn in Graz and in Styria, Austria. The title of the accompanying reader, Volksfronten | Popular Fronts, refers to the historical front populaire—the broad coalition of communists and liberals that unsuccessfully tried to challenge fascism in the 1930s. Nine essays as well as artists’ texts and full color images examine the relevance of that historical context and illuminate the role of critical thinking and artistic practice.

By placing emerging artists in their political and social contexts, this collection attempts to confront the new activist scene that has arisen in the Russian art world during the past few years. The recent explosion of protests in Russia - often with their very purpose being to decry the lack of artistic freedom - is a symptom of a fundamental change in culture heralded by Vladimir Putin's first election. This shift was precipitated by the change to a highly commercial, isolated world, financed and informed by oligarchs. In response, the Russian contemporary art scene has faced shrinking freedom yet an even more urgent need for expression. While much of what is emerging from the Moscow art scene is too new to be completely understood, the editors of this volume seek to bring to light the important work of Russian artists today and to explicate the political environment that has given rise to such work. "Post-Post-Soviet?" features criticism by writers and scholars, as well as dialogues with artists. Contributors include Boris Kagarlitsky, Ekaterina Degot, Keti Chukhrov, Boris Buden, Artur Zmijewski, and others.