I’m not raving about anything this week, which doesn’t mean there are no subjects worth taking on, only that I’m short of time and energy. I’m back in Sydney but the current art column is set in Austria, more particularly in Graz, a city of extraordinary contradictions. The Steirischer Herbst(Styrian Autumn) festival has been going for 51 years, but this is the first time I’ve attended. After the relatively tame acts one encounters at the various arts festivals held every year in Australia, Steirische Herbst was an eye-opener: fiercely political, often bizarre and rough-around-the-edges. The press kit came with a paper airsickness bag printed with the festival logo.
This year’s theme, devised by Russian director, Ekaterina Degot, was Volksfronten– which conjured up all sorts of politically extreme ideas. This sense of extremity is characteristic of a festival that was begun to combat fascist tendencies in civic life, and now finds itself confronting a new upsurge of right-wing, nationalistic politics. The responses were many and varied, from an exhibition about that famous piece of Austrian dress, the dirndl, to a sprawling survey of art from the Congo.
I’m still trying to make up my mind about Laibach’s prog rock version of The Sound of Music.
As is often the case, I was left thinking how simple life is in Australia compared to most other places in the world. If we change Prime Ministers every few months that’s only because we crave a litte novelty.
The film column moves in a different direction, looking at Michael Mayer’s new production of The Seagull, featuring an all-star cast, including Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss and Corey Stoll. Chekhov’s play is a certified classic but still feels a little creaky, even in a version that makes some significant nips and tucks.
There seems to have been a lot of boredom and frustration among the bourgeoisie in late 19th century Russia, but soon the country would be experiencing more interesting times. One only hopes that our own times stay anchored at the boring end of the spectrum.