Christoph Schlingensief's 2000 Vienna Action Confronted Xenophobia Through Provocative Art

In 2000, during the Wiener Festwochen in Vienna, Christoph Schlingensief presented 'Bitte liebt Österreich!', a provocative performance involving containers that allowed the audience to vote out asylum seekers. This work mirrored Austria's political transformation following the 1999 elections, which saw the ÖVP and FPÖ ascend to power. The performance blended actual asylum seekers with actors and featured notable figures such as Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Elfriede Jelinek. A 'Foreigners Out' banner drew applause but was later removed by leftist demonstrators. Despite legal challenges, the seven-day event proceeded. Schlingensief, who passed away in 2010, pushed the boundaries of artistic expression, contrasting with current art practices. A 2023 incident in Wiesbaden involved the removal of a statue of Erdoğan, underscoring limitations on ambiguous art. The article cites works by Friedrich Schiller and Christoph Menke. Authored by Carl Hegemann and translated by Mark Rappolt.