Werner Fenz Scholarship

Graz upgrades art in public spaces

The Brazilian artist Clara Ianni receives the Fenz scholarship this year(Bild: Ana Ferreira)

Together with steirischer herbst, the City of Graz is awarding the Werner Fenz Scholarship for Art in Public Spaces, which was launched in 2020, for the first time. The Brazilian artist Claria Ianni, who receives the award worth 17,000 euros this year, benefits from this upgrade.

"Resurrection" is the title of Clara Ianni's work, which will be realized as part of steirischer herbst. It is about performative acts in public space that deal with man's interaction with nature. The Brazilian artist's idea won out over 141 other artists from a total of 33 countries.

This is testament not least to the high status that this biennial scholarship awarded by the City of Graz already enjoys. "Clara Ianni's visionary project reflects the spirit of Werner Fenz, who saw art as a key driver of social change," says City Councillor for Culture Günter Riegler.

New collection for art in public spaces
But steirischer herbst is going even further and is setting up its own collection in memory of the art historian Werner Fenz, who died in 2016 and was closely associated with the festival. Original designs and sketches are to be purchased from ten selected artists who apply for the scholarship. This collection, supplemented by material from Clara Ianni and Werner Fenz's "Kunst Heimat Kunst" project (1992/94), will be presented in a separate exhibition at the Forum Stadtpark in Graz in the fall.

Archive material by Werner Fenz(Bild: steirischer herbst/Georg Hartwig)

Which brings us to the next point: Werner Fenz's widow, Ulrike Fenz-Kortschak, and son Daniel are donating parts of the art historian's private archive to steirischer herbst. In particular, the two projects "Bezugspunkte 38/88" from 1988 and the aforementioned "Kunst Heimat Kunst" will be made available for research. "Werner worked very closely with the artists, as evidenced by a lively correspondence," says Ulrike Fenz-Kortschak, who is delighted to now be able to make the material publicly accessible.