01.02.2024

Fortress Ohnmacht - 2023/24

On 20 January 2024, the time of the "Fortress Ohnmacht" in Graz' City Park came to an end. The next annual theme of the Forum Stadtpark will open in April 2024.
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We look back fondly on the year of Ohnmacht, which ended with the multi-storey exhibition NO HOPE NO FEAR and the publication of the Zine "Facing Ohnmacht" by our in-house publishing house.

How do you remember the Ohnmacht year? What feedback do you have for the Forum Stadtpark team? We look forward to getting to read your thoughts - send them to info@forumstadtpark.at!

Fortress Ohnmacht - 2023/24

Ohnmacht at Forum Stadtpark | April 23 - Jänner 24
FORUM STADTPARK – Fortress Ohnmacht

The German word "Ohnmacht'' describes a feeling of powerlessness or impotence but it also means to faint, to lose consciousness. Ohnmacht arises wherever a condition is intolerable but the means of change are not in sight. Between urgency and opportunity, there is a void that is growing ever wider in the face of escalating crises. And although agency is systematically unequally distributed, even the hearts of the most committed seem disillusioned today.

Acts of helplessness can be observed everywhere: Cynicism and fatalism spread, people retreat into protected spaces, stick themselves to streets or works of art, the desire to "at least not do much damage" becomes a life goal – the air has become heavy with Ohnmacht.

Where does Ohnmacht as a public feeling come from, what does it look like? Can anything positive grow from it?

The greater the feeling of powerlessness, the sweeter the promise of its overcoming: conspiracy myths thrive on the kick of self-empowerment, right-wing leader figures are strengthened by the notion that only a "strong man" can take the helm again. If you are not careful, Ohnmacht can turn you into a fortress.

In 2023, we want to declare the (apparent) omnipotence of impotence a public matter. It is high time to address Ohnmacht thoroughly, to explore it and to develop ways of dealing with it in solidarity. At FORUM STADTPARK, this attempt will be made through the interplay of different strands of thought and art.

Program Overview - FORUM STADTPARK – Fortress Ohnmacht

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15.4.2023
Ohnmacht Conference
& Sich in Ohnmacht tanzt (I dance myself into Ohnmacht)
Conference and party

22.4. – 21.5.2023
reelreelreelreal
Video and photo exhibition

24.5.2023
This is the first step in the right direction - a poetic mapping
Performance series Forum with System
Workshop performance

2.6.2023
Patriarchy and Ohnmacht
Discourse series "Facing Ohnmacht"
Lecture

16.6. – 14.7. 2023
Elke Auer - LEAKING VESSELS
Exhibition

29.6.2023
manuskripte 240: Ohnmacht
Magazine release

13.10.2023
Housing and Ohnmacht
Discourse series "Facing Ohnmacht"
Lecture

14.10.2023
Evictions.
Power & Powerlessness of the Actors
Discourse series "Facing Ohnmacht"
Workshop

16.11.2023
Climate and Ohnmacht
Discourse series "Facing Ohnmacht"
Lecture

17.11.2023 – January 2024
No Hope – No Fear
Exhibition and installation