Time to raise your voices

First off, I would like to thank Elisabeth Bakamba Tambwe and Tanzquartier Wien for inviting me to write a “paper” on Salon Souterrain - Echoes of Numbers I. As a faithful believer in Marx’s theory, I must clarify for the readers where I speak from. I must assert that I do know Elizabeth, that I am a friend of hers and that I even have participated in

one Salon Souterrain in the past. Some might think, “So, what’s the biggie?”. But others (as we know, our scene can be picky) might go “Philippe is not legit then at writing a critique!” Well, I say, “Fuck that!” And why am I saying this? Simply because this format calls for the utmost respect. Not only does Salon Souterrain give us the chance to see truly original and seldom-seen artists in Vienna, but it also presents a real challenge for the producers, the artists and the viewers. To prove it, I could go back to the reasons why this past Salon was cancelled and had to be relocated to a new palace, even though all restrictions had been respected – but still, some aspects of this gathering were not to the liking of the personnel in charge, it seems. Was it the line-up? Was it too diverse? Too queer? Were the people not sufficiently into bubbles and instead drinking too many “low-class” beers instead? Was the seating not comfy enough for an audience used to more classy seats and views? I do not know. My intel here is a bit limited. I just heard people talking and speculating, and here I am snitching. But again – it is worth it!

Engaging with such a format is always a new beginning. I keep being surprised by the artistic contributions. I will not list them all here – just know that they were all absolutely mesmerizing (of course). The point is that each and every work had its own pace, timing, dynamic, and agenda. Trying to bring them together under the same motto would be a waste of time and really not necessary. The pleasure lies exactly there. At times, I got really annoyed, wondering, “What the hell?” Most of the time, I was challenged – by the works themselves but also by the way they were sitting in the program. As a dramaturge, I would have done it differently, of course! Yes – but I did not. And here comes my point: the beauty of these Salons is to wind up in a place, you had not foreseen for yourself. Regardless of their content, all the artistic works voiced a manifesto. Call the artists P.O.C., queer, cis, using video art, dance, performance, art cuisine, fashion ... we eventually do not care anymore. A subtle and thought-through alliance of genres comes towards you as open arms. And believe me: I do not fish for a “hippy” environment when I go see a show – not my culture. Still, through Elizabeth’s presence and her program, one can perceive the care put into it. Care for the art and care for the public.

In short: it seems easier these days to hang some contemporary paintings by old Viennese abusers on a wall than to embrace the beautiful – and sometimes scary – complexity of our times. I can only say “thank you” to Elizabeth for pushing things forward and for keeping bothering unready people – as we all can be sometimes.

Philippe Riéra arbeitete über 20 Jahre mit Superamas im performativen Bereich und kollaborierte mit visuellen Künstler*innen wie Markus Schinwald, Claude Wampler, Isaac Julien und Aldo Giannotti. Er unterrichtete u.a. an der Bruckner-Uni Linz, SEAD Salzburg, ImPulsTanz sowie internationalen Ausbildungsprogrammen und war von 2014 bis 2018 Coach des ImPulsTanz-ATLAS. 2016 gründete er gemeinsam mit Caroline Madl das Programm HUGGY BEARS und betreute seither über 30 Projekte als Mentor. Von 2020 bis 2022 war er Jurymitglied von ACT OUT.
Er ist künstlerischer Leiter von Bears in the Park, einer künstler*innenfreundlichen Plattform, die die aufstrebende Szene in Wien durch verschiedene Programme unterstützt – u. a. Mentoring, Support und ein Residenzprogramm.