A day-long symposium explores the commonalities and differences of the current “culture wars” in Austria, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe. Why is it so easy to exclude uncomfortable voices? How did the logic of shitstorms lead to a new McCarthyism? How can cultural institutions navigate the new pressures of the day, and what are the strategies for the “day after”? How can we repair the damage done to the institutions and to public discourse?

In the first panel, The Day After?, Andreja Hribernik and Daniel Muzyczuk address the impact of the Right’s electoral victories on museums. How can they continue raising difficult questions under right-wing governance? How can museums recover once power changes hands again?

In the second panel, Austrian Apocalypse, Natascha Strobl and Ilija Trojanow discuss the situation in Austria, where a far-right politician is poised to become chancellor. How did the Right manage to convince such large parts of the electorate, and what, if anything, could disenchant the current fascination with authoritarianism?

In the third panel, Shitstorms and Staatsräson, Emily Dische-Becker and Eva Menasse look at the recent weaponization of antisemitism accusations by the Right in Germany and elsewhere. By what mechanisms are uncomfortable voices excluded from public debates? How to navigate social media shitstorms, and how to keep them from becoming toxic?

In the final panel, Uncomfortable Voices in Art Institutions, Nina Tabassomi and Antje Weitzel examine the impact of the new political and economic pressures on art institutions. How to orient oneself in the new political situation, how to deal with the pressure to comply, how to continue to confront uncomfortable truths?

The symposium also includes a first look at the exhibition and festival catalogue. This richly illustrated publication, designed by Grupa Ee and published by Hatje Cantz (ISBN 978-3-7757-6008-9), documents the program of steirischer herbst ’24. Edited by Ekaterina Degot and David Riff, it contains contributions by Kevin Clarke, Clemens Ruthner, Barbara Seyerl, Heidemarie Uhl, and Hans-Peter Weingand.

With Emily Dische-Becker, Andreja Hribernik, Eva Menasse, Daniel Muzyczuk, Natascha Strobl, Nina Tabassomi, Ilija Trojanow, and Antje Weitzel

Link

https://2024.steirischerherbst.at/en/program/events/7467/uncomfortable-voices