Feast of Pentecost 2024
Performance and Exhibitions
The annual Feast of Pentecost in Prinzendorf offers the unique opportunity to visit several exhibitions and Hermann Nitsch’s studio in the castle, in which the artist used to live and work. Further important elements of the feast are the unadulturated wine from Nitsch’s own vineyard, a traditional Heuriger buffet accompanied by local brass music and a joint procession through the fields of the surrounds. The Feast of Pentecost is a celebration for all members of the Association supporting the O.M. Theatre, as well as for all friends and interested parties in the Orgies Mysteries Theatre.
In the spirit of Nitsch, we have decided this year to invite four artists who were contributing performers in the Orgies Mysteries Theatre to show their own work at Prinzendorf. The program will feature
♦ the live performance ASCENSION by the Finnish artist Josef Ka,
♦ Johannes Rass will present one of his spectacular “stage animals”
♦ Katrin Sturm and
♦ Felix Wittibschlager will present their paintings, which – as in Nitsch’s work – focuse on the form or material of the paint substance.
Josef Ka
International performance, visual, and sound artist Josef Ka blends richly varied influences – everything from Butoh dance to cinematic theory – with her decades of nomadic world travel to create bold, highly personal site-specific art. Josef Ka’s themes range from investigating the place of the human body in contemporary reality to exploring the inner body as a representative system of our human and post human kind. ASCENSION is a new performance by Josef Ka created especially for Pfingstfest 2024. It pays homage to Hermann Nitsch and Schloss Prinzendorf – with deep gratitude to Hermann Nitsch’s life and art, which has profoundly influenced her own artistic practice. ASCENSION will be performed by Josef Ka in collaboration with Franciszek Araszkiewicz Music (electronics governed by brainwaves) and Lena Perelman (lighting design consultant)
Johannes Rass
With his work, Johannes Rass builds bridges between art and culinary art by bringing meat back into the context to what it was and is: physicality. It all begins with the event of slaughtering and butchering of the animal. This is followed by the preparation of the individual pieces, which are then reassembled into their original animal shape. Viewers of the sculpture, and the the photographs taken of it, are confronted with the actual source of the product – the animal in its entirety.
“Johannes Rass’s working material as well as the actionistic moment in the production process reveal an undeniable proximity to Nitsch’s works, but at the same time the artistic work has a very independent and unmistakable visual language and a conceptual approach that is convincing due to its innovative approach.”
(text: Günther Oberhollenzer, artistic director, Künstlerhaus Vienna)
Katrin Sturm
Katrin Sturm is a painter, sculptor and curator. She lives and works in the wine area north of Vienna and in France. She has been an active and passive participant in Hermann Nitsch’s Orgies and Mysteries Theater for 20 years, and is an enthusiastic supporter of actionism and expressive art ever since. As an artist, Katrin Sturm is always on the lookout for new ways of expression, and will be showing her large-format, abstract multi piece works in Prinzendorf. Pure fragments of being, created in a momentary, emotional state, best described as a from of intuitive action painting.
Felix Wittibschlager
Felix Wittibschlager is a qualified painter and sculptor from wine area north of Vienna. He uses multimedia to explore the controversial issues of our society and the fundamental beauty of nature. While his original idea to start painting was driven by the desire to make good use of his time, it soon became clear that his true motivation lies in using his art to address controversial social issues and make people think. The question of his style is not easy for him to answer, but he describes it as free, abstract painting.
Registration and shuttle bus
The contribution towards costs of 20€ (incl. food and beverages) for the Feast of Pentecost and/or a seat on the return shuttle Vienna can be booked for 20€ in the orderform below or in our onlineshop.
As usual, you can of course also pay the contribution towards expenses directly in cash at the donation box on Pentecost Sunday.
Our Association members have free admission but are kindly requested to pay their annual fee on time to the Association’s account (IBAN: AT34 3255 1000 0048 4238).
For more information please call +43 2 513 55 30 or email to verein@nitsch.org.
The Feast of Pentecost takes place in all weathers. We recommend comfortable shoes and rainwear if necessary.