Welcome to Graz - Austria and to the 169th edition of the Forum Song Contest (FSC).
Theme: ‘Austria: The Moment of Modern Art’
Winner FSC February 2023
Congratulations! ^^
The Host city for this FSC #169-edition is Graz - Austria. It is the capital city of the Austrian state
of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. The population is around 332.000. In the
Graz larger urban zone around 650.000 people live. In 1999 the citys historic centre was added to
to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites (landmarks / areas with legal international protection)
The name of the city, Graz, formerly spelled Gratz most likely stems from the Slavic gradec which
means "small castle" . Some archaeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by Alpine
Slavic people (they resided in the region in the 6th to 8th centuries) which over time became a he
avily defended fortification. The German name 'Graz' first appears in official records in year 1128.
The oldest settlement on the ground of the modern city of Graz dates back to the Copper Age (ca
5000 BC to ca 2500 BC) . However, no historical continuity exists of a settlement before the Midd
le Ages. During the 12th century dukes under Babenberg rule made the town into an important co
mmercial center. Later, Graz came under Habsburg-rule, & in 1281 gained special royal privileges.
In the 14th century, Graz became the city of residence of the Inner Austrian line of the Habsburgs
The royalty lived in the Schlossberg castle and from there ruled Styria , Carinthia , most of today's
Slovenia, and parts of Italy. In the 16th century the city's design and planning were primarily contr
olled by Italian Renaissance architects & artists (f.ex. Landhaus designed by Domenico dell'Allio)
The University of Graz was founded by Archduke Karl II in 1585, it's the city's oldest university. For
most of its existence, it was controlled by the Catholic church, and was closed in 1782 by Joseph
II (Holy Roman Emperor) in an attempt to gain state control over educational institutions. Joseph
II transformed it into a lyceum ( facility ) where civil servants and medical personnel were trained.
In 1827 it was re-established as a university by Emperor Franz I , & was named 'Karl-Franzens Uni
versität' or 'Charles-Francis University' (in English). More than 30.000 students are currently enroll
ed at this university . Famous astronomer Johannes Kepler lived in Graz for a short period beginn
ing in 1594 . And Ludwig Boltzmann was Professor for Mathematical Physics from 1869 to 1890.
Graz is centrally located within todays Bundesland (state) of Styria (Steiermark in German). With
a strategic location , at the head of the open and fertile Mur valley , Graz was historically a target
of invaders (Hungarians in 1481 & Turks in 1529). Graz is home to the region's provincial armory
with, in fact, the world's largest historical collection of late medieval and Renaissance weaponry.
From the earlier part of the 15th century, Graz was the residence of the younger branch of the Ha
bsburgs , which succeeded to the imperial throne in 1619 , in the person of, Emperor Ferdinand II
who moved the capital to Vienna . New fortifications were built on the Schlossberg, at the end of
the 16th century. Napoleon's army occupied Graz in 1797, & it withstood another assault in 1809.
‘Austria: The Moment of Modern Art’
‘A look into the history of Modern Art’
The term “ modern art ” , is associated with art, that challenged the traditions and techniques that
came before it. Van Gogh's ‘Sunflowers’, Picasso's ‘Les Demoiselles d'Avignon’, and Warhol's ‘Cam
pbell's Soup Cans’ are all examples of wellknown modern artworks. The modern art movement pr
oduced some of the world’s most recognizable , & beloved artworks . In just over a hundred years
modern artists completely transformed what critics , and the public, knew art to be. Modern art is
artists’ response to radically new lives, technologies, and ideas that came out of the 20th century.
The modern art period coincided with significant cultural, societal and political change and uphea
val resulting in radical changes in artistic styles . Modern art is exemplified by artworks produced
between the 1860s and 1970s , in modern styles. The date perhaps most commonly identified as
marking the birth of modern art is 1863 the year that Édouard Manet showed his painting ‘Le déje
uner sur l'herbe’ in the Salon des Refusé in Paris. The strands of thought that eventually led to mo
dern art can be traced back to the 'Age of Enlightenment' an intellectual and philosophical movem
ent that dominated Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries with large global influences and effects
Austria has many museums for modern and contemporary art . Several of the most famous ones
are in the capital of Vienna (Wien). Mumok (Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien): it is
the oldest institution of its kind in Austria, founded in the post-war years as a part of the state pol
icy of denationalization . This is the place where socially appropriate version of the contemporary
art process is demonstrated. Another is Belvedere 21.This museum is part of the National Gallery
Belvedere and that 21st-century art is on display here. It is quite a new museum. The first exchibit
ion opened in 2011. A third one is Kunsthalle. It's a kind of embassy of the international art scene.
Austria has a lot to boast about in terms of contemporary art, not least via the viennacontempora
ry and Parallel Vienna fairs . Famous Austrian artists include Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) , a leading
figure of the Vienna Secession movement, which was closely related to similar movements of Art
Nouveau artists. Hans Makart (1840-1884) who produced numerous allegorical and history painti
ngs & inspired a lot of Austrian artists. Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was an Expressionist artist duri
ng the 1st decades of 20th century . He was 1 of the pioneers of the Expressionist art movement.
Politically , culturally , scientifically and religiously , Graz was an important centre for all Slovenes
especially from the establishment of the University of Graz in 1586, till' the establishment of Univ
ersity of Ljubljana in 1919 . In 1574 , the first Slovene Catholic book was published in Graz, and in
1592, historian Hieronymus Megiser published in Graz the first multi-lingual dictionary of Slovene
Situated in a cultural borderland between Central Europe , Italy and the Balkan States, Graz absor
bed various influences from the neighbouring regions, & thus received its exceptional townscape
Today the historic centre consists of over 1000 buildings , their age ranging from Gothic to conte
mporary. It includes the Clock Tower, a famous iconic symbol of Graz at the top of the Castle hill.
The Old Town and the adjacent districts are characterized by the historic residential buildings , &
churches found there. Before Graz became the European Capital of Culture in 2003 , several new
modern projects were realized, such as the Stadthalle, the Kindermuseum (museum for children)
the Helmut-List-Halle , the Kunsthaus (see more details below), & the Murinsel (more info below)
Graz has an 'Oceanic' climate . Due to its position southeast of the Alps , the city is shielded from
the prevailing westerly winds that bring weather fronts in from the North Atlantic to northwestern
and central Europe. The weather in Graz is thus influenced by the Mediterranean, and it has more
hours of sunshine per year statistically than both Vienna and Salzburg and also less wind or rain.
An extensive public transport network makes Graz an easy city to navigate without a car. The city
has a huge bus network, complementing the Graz tram network . The Schlossbergbahn, a funicul
ar railway, & the Schlossberg vertical lift link the city centre to the Schlossberg. Graz too has plen
ty of hotels , restaurants , cafes , shops and all modern amenities for locals , visitors, and guests.
Culturally , Graz hosts the annual festival of classical music Styriarte, founded in 1985 to tie cond
uctor Nikolaus Harnoncourt closer to his hometown. Events have been held at different venues in
Graz , & in the surrounding region. The city has many museums incl. Schloss Eggenberg with Alte
Galerie, Museum im Palais , Neue Galerie , Natural History Museum & the Kunsthaus art sections.
City sights incl. Rathaus (Town Hall), aforementioned Schlossberg (Castle hill), Schlossbergbahn
(funicular railway) & Uhrturm (Clock Tower), the Opernhaus (Graz Opera House), Schauspeilhaus
(Graz Theatre), Dom (Graz Cathedral, a rare monument of Gothic architecture), & the mausoleum
of Emperor Ferdinand II next to the cathedral, the most important building of Mannerism in Graz.
Also important in Graz is the Murinsel , an artificial floating " island " in the middle of the Mur river
& links the two banks on both sides. It is in the form of a giant sea shell and measures 47m in len
gth . At night the blue navigation lights that surround the structure light up. This landmark of Graz
was designed by the artist Vito Acconci, for Graz becoming the 2003 European Capital of Culture.
The Host venue for FSC #169 March 2023 , is: the Kunsthaus Graz in Graz, Austria. Sometimes al
so called Graz Art Museum or "Blaue Blase" it was built as part of the European Capital of Culture
celebrations in 2003 & has since become an architectural landmark in the city . Its exchibition pro
gram specializes in modern and contemporary art from the 1960s onwards. The building’s design
sought to be deliberately provocative , an innovate museum design by offering a less institutional
approach to organising exchibition spaces and employing new materials and manufacturing tech
niques. The building is an example of blob architecture (with its organic, amoeba-shaped building
form) and has a skin made of iridescent blue acrylic panels that also double as photovoltaic pane
ls. Architecture , design , new media , internet art, film, and photography are united under one roof
It was developed as an institution , to stage international exchibitions of multidisciplinary modern
and contemporary art from the 1960s to the present day. It is a multi-purpose venue which stages
diverse cultural performances, & events . They are proud to host this evening’s edition of the FSC.
Our wonderful Hosts this evening are:
Tori Reichel , KeKe and Oliver Stummvoll
Tori Reichel is an Austrian journalist, host and creative conceptor based in Vienna who is creating
documentaries, and video content , on topics of socio-politics and subculture for media like VICE,
Noisey , and A1Now. He is very proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the Forum Song Contest
KeKe (Kiara Hollatko) is an Austrian singer & rapper (and former FSC representative) from Vienna.
Her debut single “ Donna Selvaggia ” was released in summer 2018, and she has become popular
in -Austrian music-. She is very proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the Forum Song Contest.
Oliver Stummvoll is an Austrian fashion model based in Vienna. He is best known for being the wi
nner of cycle 6 of Austria's Next Topmodel in 2014. He has appeared in editorials in several maga
zines since that win. He is very proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the Forum Song Contest
And we are now pleased to announce
The Opening Acts
Exclusive International Guest Appearances
Anna-Maria Zimmermann (Germany)
ET (Croatia)
-
’1000 Träume weit (Tornero)’
’Ne Daj Mi Da’
