Go West!

The monumental equestrian statue –  from antiquity to the Baroque era, the quintessential commission for public representation – has become obsolete; new themes have taken its place. But since we’re heading to “Lipizzaner Country,” we’ll explore the equine theme, beginning with Klaus Schuster in Graz and concluding our tour of the “Wild West” with Gustav Troger in Köflach.

Our focus is on the rugged West, which has nevertheless been such fertile ground for the emergence of a community of artists: for more than three generations, a disproportionately high number of artists from Western Styria have been among Styria’s most innovative artists.

We’ll also discuss gaps in the public sphere – where are the “wild” women like Eva Ursprung, Matta Wagnest, or Veronika Dreier? – in the spirit of Jelinek: “I’m part of it, but I don’t appear.”