02.06.2009
Lectures/Events

The Search for the Wizard Jackl
Performance with Matei Bejenaru

The Search for the Wizard Jackl Performance with Matei Bejenaru

Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 7 p.m.

The performance with the Romanian artist, Matei Bejenaru, entitled “The Search for the Wizard Jackl ” is based on historical records of the 17th century massive witch hunt in the state of Salzburg, which reached its peak between 1675 and 1679 with the execution of about 200 people. The majority of those executed were young male beggars who were accused of practicing various kinds of magic. The Salzburg authorities never caught the mysterious leader, the Wizard Jackl, in spite of the extremely high reward offered. “The Search for the Wizard Jackl ” transcends these historical facts and becomes a sort of pretext for the introspection of the subconscious, using spoken word and video documentary. Before the actual performance the artist will search for traces of the Wizard Jackl in the Salzburg woods. Those experiences are an integrative component of his performance in the Salzburg Kunstverein. Later in the evening Matei Bejenaru plans another search in the woods with his audience so that they can experience and discuss what they have learned. Visitors are invited to bring their own video cameras in order to document their findings as a sort of epilogue to the performance.

Matei Bejenaru, born in 1963, lives and works in Iasi, Romania. He initiated Perific, the international biennial for contemporary art in Iasi and is a co-founder of the Vector Association, an institution created by artists and philosophers to foster the local emerging art scene. Matei Bejenaru is an internationally recognized key representative of socially engaged art in Eastern Europe. Photo: ORF Kunstradio