Art and abuse: Viennese festival weeks in the focus of the Metoo debate!

Art and abuse: Viennese festival weeks in the focus of the Metoo debate!

The Viennese festival weeks are characterized by a controversial congress that deals with the topics of art, abuse and the metoo movement. Organized by Milo Rau, the congress takes place in the Odeon and includes a varied program that extends over the weekend. Rau kept the opening speech on Friday and put the advertising line of the festival weeks for discussion. On Saturday, technical discussions on Otto Muehl and Florian Teichtmeister followed. The end of the end was a discussion about Till Lindemann with a jury and the "Council of the Republic", which take up the sensitive and often painful topics.

Rau -Rau addressed the criticism of the advertising aesthetics of the festival weeks, which is related to naked models, and was a “V” on the forehead, a symbol of love. The event offers a platform for various voices, including Dolores Schmidinger, who addressed problematic behaviors in the theater world, and Markus Öhrn, who reported on his traumatic childhood and the effects of the metoo movement.

criticism and discussions on art and responsibility

A central point of the debate was the examination of Otto Muehl, who was convicted of serious crimes in 1991. Former residents of the municipality in which Muehl lived reported about abuse and the responsibility of the art scene. The discussion about his works of art, in particular the so -called "slide pictures", was opened by the psychotherapist Ruth Bourgogne, who, however, sees their beauty against the horrific background of sexual abuse. The question arises whether Mühl's works should be painted from the canon of art or not. A new private Actionism museum only shows works that were created before the establishment of the AAO commune. The head of the museum, Julia Moebus-Pucker, emphasized that no "perpetrator glorification" should take place, a statement that is denied by representatives of the Mathilda group who saw a complicity with the rape culture.

The media treatment of Florian Teichtmeister, who was released in 2023 after allegations, was also critically questioned. Tanya Bakich, who curated the exhibitions, spoke in favor of dealing with medial attention in these sensitive cases. In the meantime, Hedwig Wölfl expressed concerns about the trivialization of "hands-off delics". Attorney Rudolf Mayer advocated a restriction of reporting and highlighted the complex use of the detention of art in public.

social reflections and future outlook

The debate on the subjects of art, sexuality and power reflects a broader social reflection that was initiated by the metoo movement. The structural patriarchal systems that exist in literature, culture and everyday life are increasingly made visible, which requires more intensive discussion about discriminatory behavior. Awareness of sexual harassment and violence against women has increased, not only in the art area, but also in schools and at work. The Metoo debate served as pioneer for further movements and many states have tightened their laws in the field of sexual criminal law.

With the upcoming trial against Dominique Pelicot on June 18, which is streamed live, the congress in an urgently attracts attention to responsibility and multi -dimensional examination of art and its history. It remains to be hoped that the exchange at the congress will help to further stimulate the debate about abuse and questionable art and to bring about positive changes in society.