To live bravely Thoughts on this year’s festival programme
A few years ago, the idea that “Live Bravely” might be an appropriate motto for the festival would have caused furrowed brows. Since then, however, we have collectively had to learn that our democratic and political certainties are no longer what they were. Without conscious, brave actions by every one of us, we could recklessly surrender our own future. This is why Kunstfest Weimar will once again display courage, backbone and attitude. The opening two days offer surprising and poetic reflections on our time: the great Israeli visual artist Sigalit Landau will present a video installation developed in, for and about Weimar and aspects of Weimar’s history. In the Theaterplatz the Lebanese choreographer Omar Rajeh will open the festival to a broad audience with his interdisciplinary project “Dance People”. And at the Museum of Forced Labor Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik will present a video installation which reflects on the neo-fascist associations of idolising physical fitness on TikTok. In the Redoute the South African star director Brett Bailey performs his “Faust II” redux under a title not entirely accidentally reminiscent of Elon Musk’s space technology company SpaceX: “FaustX” – a clever, absurd and bitterly funny depiction of current political realities – the theatre as a reality machine? This is even more true on the second night, when “My Beloved Country”, a work created between Russia and Germany under challenging conditions of exile will be performed in an historic location, the monumental KET-Halle, which was built by forced labourers under the Nazis. A fitting counterpoint is delivered by the Buchenwald Memorial Concert with the renowned Capella Cracoviensis and Brahms’s wonderful “Ein Deutsches Requiem”. Kunstfest Weimar reflects the harrowing developments and conflicts of our time. Of course, the choice of two artists from the neighbouring countries Israel and Lebanon is no coincidence – and neither is the fact that both artists make no explicit political statement about the current situation: the programme maker is more concerned with the – let’s call it imaginary – artistic dialogue that is created for the audience by the simultaneous presence of two such eminent artists. Similarly you can explore the “communication” between works such as “Bereitschaft” and “FaustX”: on one hand reflections based on deliberately small-scale neofascist imagery on TikTok – on the other the detached view taken by a star South African artist of a disjointed 21st century global political landscape that seems to be drifting irresistibly rightwards – against the background of Goethe’s humanist classic! On the second day of the festival, you can also look forward to Irina Scherbakowa’s Buchenwald Memorial Address in the Herderkirche – which will be mirrored later the same evening in their own poetic manner in the production by Polina Solotowizki and Polina Borodina based on the book of the exiled author Elena Kostyuchenko and created with the involvement of artists imprisoned in Russia, who must remain unnamed. You are free to work out the complementary or connecting themes that join these projects and run right through the festival programme for yourself – believe me, the communication channels and echo chambers that emerge when reflecting on individual contributions to the festival will surprise and enrich you! The festival devotes an entire chapter to the “Faust” complex to mark the 250th anniversary of Goethe’s arrival in Weimar – not only Brett Bailey, but also the “other” internationally acclaimed director (and equally renowned visual artist) from the Cape has a date in Weimar: William Kentridge presents the revival of his “Faustus in Africa” with a star cast – the landmark original production had its world premiere in Weimar in 1995 as part of Kunstfest! Theresia Walser also writes a “Faustian” comedy commissioned by Kunstfest Weimar and Theater Fürth about a couple of teachers who are forced to ask themselves the essential question of how they should react to the freshly elected far right state government. Werner Fritsch returns to Weimar with his new, now 15-hour filmic life’s work “Faust – Sonnengesang” and Steve Karier surveys how Faust has been received in a tongue-in-cheek lecture. We are also delighted to once again be able to offer an in-depth portrait of the formidable Taiwanese performing arts scene. This not especially large island offers such a wealth of innovative stage artists working on an international level that one could continue to present such a series every couple of years – without inviting any company more than once. So it should come as no surprise that you will not be able to rediscover any “old acquaintances” this time – but then you couldn’t in the first portrait of Taiwan last year either, and all those productions sold out to the very last seat. Here again we will be counting on you this year: even though we have been able to announce new records for ticket sales and turnover every year for the last three years, we look forward to doing the same again this time! To do so, we need you! So be there!
And you will be welcome.
Warmly yours
Rolf C. Hemke