The exhibition A War in the Distance, the central project of the 2022 edition of steirischer herbst festival, took place at Neue Galerie Graz / Universalmuseum Joanneum and invited visitors to engage with historical and contemporary works directly or indirectly about wars past and present. Confronting lesser-known 19th- and 20th-century paintings from Neue Galerie Graz’s collection with works made by artists today, it uncovered hidden stories from the uncomfortable past. This richly illustrated publication documents this exhibition as well its surrounding festival program. Throughout, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine was ever present, like a filter, impossible to erase or forget.

Every year for a month, STEIRISCHER HERBST, one of the oldest interdisciplinary festivals of contemporary art in Europe, turns the city of Graz and the province of Styria in Austria into a parcours of installative and performative works. Since 1968, the festival has offered a platform for public debates, critical positions, and dialogues between the arts.