Grazer Kunstverein
Josef Dabernig
Lacrimosa
Exhibition
Josef Dabernig, Lacrimosa (2024), film still, courtesy of the artist
Dates
21.9.–17.11.2024
Details
A cooperation in the context of steirischer herbst ’24
Location
Grazer Kunstverein, Graz
Part of
Partner Program
After two decades, Austrian artist and filmmaker Josef Dabernig returns to Grazer Kunstverein. The exhibition revolves around the Austrian premiere of his latest film, Lacrimosa (2024), which stages funeral ceremonies in the attic of a spooky villa. In the film, the artist’s elderly aunt gathers her great-grandnieces and great-grandnephew around a child’s coffin for a funeral prayer. Folded hands, furtive glances, rosaries, and a commode chair are the elements of an eccentric children’s game in which the illustrious group navigates between intimidation, rebellion, and a dangerous staircase, all while grappling with existential questions.
Lacrimosa sets the tone for a retrospective look at Dabernig’s moving-image oeuvre, filtered through the motifs of death, mourning, and elegy. The relation between the film and the scenography is conceived as an expanded form of sculpture, shaping the interplay of relic, domesticity, and letting go.
Curated by Tom Engels
Link
https://2024.steirischerherbst.at/en/program/events/6314/grazer-kunstverein-josef-dabernig-lacrimosa
Retrospective
Retrospective