Live Performance
‘The curator’s speech’ from the performance @Medienwerkstatt. Photo credit: Hanna Schimek
WHAT IF – the making of a character
Inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, the performer experiments on her own identity perception in relation to her remembered family biography; playing with reenactment, repetition and reframing, she attempts to remake herself an upgraded identity.
The performance follows the real and imagined life story of the performer’s mother:
This is the first major show devoted to the drawing and painting work of the unknown painter Ariella Shteinberg (1948 – 2010). The show charts work from her enigmatic career attempting to clear a mystery around the big void in her mid-career oeuvre, as researchers are not decided, if she really was..
Reflecting on the lingering consequences connecting memory, fact and fiction, WHAT IF is a multidisciplinary experiment on identity construction involving performative and visual art disciplines.
Concept & performance: Anat Stainberg // Text development: Yosi Wanunu // Camera: Lisbeth Kovačič // Editing: Michael Strohmann // Music: Martin Siewert // Make up: Marietta Dang // Costume: Yasmina Haddad // Acting coach: Markus Zett
Video credit: Philip Leitmann
WHAT IF was a part of Family Affairs, an experimental arrangement on the topic of (artistic) heritage. Curated by Hanna Schimek and hosted by the Medienwerkstatt Wien October 2020.
WHAT IF total running time is 50 min.
WHAT IF was supported by Stadt Wien Kultur MA7 and BMKÖS.
Link to more info about Family Affairs.