As a lifelong admirer of art that pushes boundaries and challenges societal norms, I find Florentina Holzinger’s SANCTA to be nothing short of mesmerizing. Having spent years studying the history of performance art, I can confidently say that this production is a testament to the power of artistic freedom and the human spirit’s unyielding desire for expression.
In my perspective, what was once considered shocking or provocative has lost its edge over time and cultural shifts. As we become more accustomed to sexuality, violence, and other potentially taboo subjects in media, people are constantly seeking out more stimulating content. By the year 2024, it seems almost impossible to truly shock an audience, given the explicit imagery that kids today are exposed to, which would have been traumatic for adults a century ago. Yet, there are still artists on the fringe who create daring and confrontational works, but few manage to break into the mainstream. Remarkably, Florentina Holzinger has managed to do just that with her 2024 opera, SANCTA, which could very well be the most provocative piece of art this year.
Title rephrasing suggestion: “Florentina Holzinger Makes Everyone Uneasy, But New York Times Underplays Her Pioneering Spirit
In Tanz, the show that made her debut in 2019, a performer was lifted aloft using meat hooks inserted into her body. During A Divine Comedy, her first performance at Berlin’s influential Volksbühne theatre in 2021, one performer reached an intense climax through self-masturbation while others created a live painting using blood and fresh feces.
2023’s Ophelia’s Got Talent showcased some unconventional acts, including a woman having a large fishing hook pierced through her cheek, a sword-swallower undergoing an endoscopy-like act, live tattooing of the audience, a person with dwarfism simulating childbirth by presenting a pile of bloody props, and a group of dancers grinding against a helicopter suspended from the ceiling until it released a pool of translucent liquid into the swimming pool below.
Holzinger’s artistic works are part of a long-standing tradition that stirred up debate within the art world. This lineage spans from Duchamp’s controversial piece, “Fountain,” which was essentially a urinal, to John Cage’s “Theater Piece No. 1” at Black Mountain College alongside Rauschenberg, Olson, and others. Allan Kaprow’s Happenings and Marina Abramović’s performance art pushed boundaries for their time, often putting artists in potentially dangerous situations. Notably, some filmmakers have even faced death or imprisonment due to their work. Holzinger’s staged performances may provoke shock, but they are built upon the accomplishments of trailblazers.
Medical Treatment Was Needed for 18 Attendees of ‘SANCTA’
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In 2024, the Austrian choreographer and dancer carried on the tradition of outstanding agitators – causing a stir. SANCTA represents an expanded reimagining of Paul Hindemith’s one-act opera, Sancta Susanna, which caused quite a stir in its premiere (Frankfurt, 1922). As always, Holzinger was unreserved in his approach. During the performances of SANCTA, some audience members reportedly had strong physiological responses, as noted by The Guardian at that time.
Last Saturday, I was part of our team that managed eight individuals requiring assistance from our visitor service. On Sunday, we had 10 such cases,” said Sebastian Ebling, representing the opera. In fact, a physician was summoned in three distinct situations, he clarified. “Given recent events, we strongly advise everyone to thoroughly review the warnings before attending,” Ebling advised the Stuttgarter Nachrichten daily newspaper. It’s important to note that this adults-only show carries numerous alerts for potential triggers such as incense, intense sounds, explicit sexual content, and violent sexual themes.
Ebling also (perhaps sarcastically) suggested to any potential audience members that you can simply “avert your gaze.” Meanwhile, Holzinger herself jokingly said, “Our trigger warnings before each play become longer and longer while iconographic works and the Bible have none.” On a more artistic and paradoxical level, The Free Republic of Vienna calls SANCTA itself a “trigger warning for mass,” expressing the way the opera details the more socially acceptable but nonetheless bloody and unnerving symbols and rituals of Catholicism. So is SANCTA a religious critique? Not exactly. Read on for more.
What the Hell Is ‘SANCTA?’
In the play “SANCTA”, the fundamental narrative of Hindemith’s opera is dismantled, reimagined, and reshaped to offer a perspective influenced by feminism. The story revolves around a nun’s journey towards sexual freedom (or perhaps her downfall), as she finds herself drawn into passion despite the stern advisories from her fellow nuns in the convent. This fascination with desire eventually leads her to madness, where she removes Christ’s loincloth from a large crucifix and petitions for her own crucifixion. In “SANCTA”, the madness stemming from sexual repression (and the oppressive control exerted by church and state) is not confined to just the protagonist, but rather infects the entire convent.
In diverse levels of undress from the waist down, everyone participates differently; some glide on roller skates, some are suspended in mid-air, some conquer a towering rock-climbing wall, all somehow surpassing and ascending in their own way. Since Hindemith’s opera spans just 25 minutes, the remainder of Holzinger’s SANCTA blends music from renowned masters (Rachmaninoff, Bach) with contemporary composer Johanna Doderer, along with metal and techno tunes and powerful soundscapes. This fusion is meant to emulate a Catholic mass itself, adhering to its liturgical structure and echoing its themes of suffering, blood, flesh, music, and ceremony. As Holzinger shared with The Berliner:
We’ve sought to capture the essence of what religion is intended to accomplish for individuals – providing comfort during hardships, helping them cope with the concept of mortality, and fostering empathy, love, and concern. Unfortunately, when religion becomes institutionalized, issues like dogma and misuse can arise. With SANCTA, our goal is to transform the Church into a place that could suit our needs – a sanctuary with the potential to work effectively for us.
Controversy Without Censorship: Letting Art Be Provocative
It’s astonishing (and motivating) how Holzinger’s work is receiving a lot of backing and breaking into the mainstream. Unlike the United States, some European countries provide substantial government aid for artists and help them with staging productions. As The Guardian stated, “Directors don’t get this kind of funding in the UK,” says Veronica Thompson, an American cabaret performer based in London who specializes in hair-hanging. “If they did, they wouldn’t have the liberty to fail. To be able to get strange and fascinating on such a grand scale is truly delightful.
In the future, it would be wonderful if the UK and U.S. could secure the necessary resources to develop their own displays of awe-inspiring power, similar to “shock and awe” or “sturm und drang.” Until that time arrives, let’s consider enjoying a show of SANCTA. The performance of SANCTA, by Florentina Holzinger, is a collaborative production between the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Wiener Festwochen, and Volksbühne Berlin.
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2024-12-18 04:33