Florentina Holzinger Opens Matthias Lilienthal's First Volksbühne Season with 'House Wash'
On a warm October evening, Florentina Holzinger kicked off Matthias Lilienthal's first season as the artistic director of Berlin's Volksbühne with her performance titled 'House Wash.' The show featured naked artists, including Holzinger, who descended from the theater's facade on cables, using rags to scrub the venue's name. Notable elements included a blow-up doll representing Gustave Courbet's 'L'Origine du monde' and a fountain pouring water. As doom metal music played, performers spray-painted 'Volks Falls' on canvases. Holzinger, recognized for her work at the Venice Biennale and a former associate artist with René Pollesch, has an upcoming pavilion at Gropius Bau scheduled for spring 2027. The performance critiques the art world's quest for innovation amid stagnation, with Lilienthal favoring political disruption.
Key facts
- Florentina Holzinger opened Matthias Lilienthal's first season as Volksbühne artistic director with 'House Wash.'
- The performance took place on a balmy October evening at the Volksbühne in Berlin.
- Naked performers, including Holzinger, descended the facade on cables and wiped the theater's name with rags.
- A blow-up doll of Gustave Courbet's 'L'Origine du monde' served as the main prop, with a water fountain gushing between its legs.
- Performers graffitied 'Volks Falls' on two white canvases flanking the building.
- Lilienthal opened a public swimming pool, 'People's Pool' (Volksbad), in front of the theater at a cost of €410,000, sparking media controversy.
- A planned swimming day for people of color turned the pool into a culture-war flashpoint, prompting a 'fuck you' sign on the grass.
- Holzinger was an associate artist at the Volksbühne for several years under René Pollesch, performing at least two dozen evenings.
- Holzinger's acclaimed Austrian pavilion will come to the Gropius Bau in spring 2027.
Entities
Artists
- Florentina Holzinger
- Matthias Lilienthal
- Gustave Courbet
- René Pollesch
- Mayra Wallraff
- Rimini Protokoll
Institutions
- Volksbühne
- Venice Biennale
- Gropius Bau
- Monopol
- Biennale in Venedig
- österreichischer Pavillon
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Austria
- Deutschland
- Berlin-Mitte
- Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
- Venedig
- Italien
- Österreich