Werner Fenz Grant for Art in Public Space 2026 Goes to Francesca Grilli

For the second time, steirischer herbst and the City of Graz are jointly awarding the Werner Fenz Grant for Art in Public Space. The 17,000-euro grant comprises the realization of a work during steirischer herbst and goes to Francesca Grilli. The Brussels-based artist, born in Bologna in 1978, won over the jury with her performance Record, which stood out as the strongest entry among 269 submissions.

The Werner Fenz Grant is aimed at national and international projects that address the sociopolitical context of Graz and promotes art that provides decisive impulses for public space and social change. It fosters artistic reflection on local issues and sparks public discourse.

The jury—consisting of Andreas Fogarasi, artist; Katrina Petter, director of Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Niederösterreich; Werner Reiterer, artist; Nils van Beek, curator for art in public space; and Pieternel Vermoortel, senior curator at steirischer herbst—unanimously voted for Grilli’s project.

The grantee is delighted to have been commissioned with this work and describes it as follows:

“In a context shaped by the demand for constant visibility and productivity, Record explores the political potential of withdrawal and invisibility. Inspired by the figure of the hikikomori—individuals who isolate themselves as a refusal of societal expectations—the project reimagines retreat not as passivity but as a form of resistance. Through a site-specific choral performance with young participants, it reflects on social isolation, reclaiming withdrawal as a fragile yet powerful way of inhabiting public space. Presented in Graz, the work resonates with the city’s history of independent cultural practices and its current transformations around housing and youth precarity.”

About Francesca Grilli

Francesca Grilli (1978, Bologna, Italy) is an artist who employs a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on performance, video, and installation. She has participated in numerous performance festivals, and her work has been featured in various solo and group exhibitions at international museums and institutions, including: Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo (2022), Baltic Circle, Helsinki (2020), Mladi Levi Festival, Ljubljana (2020), Kaunas Biennial (2019), SAAL Biennaal, Tallinn (2019), Santarcangelo Festival (2019–17), Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2017), Venice Biennale (2013), MADRE, Naples (2011), MACRO, Rome (2012), Serpentine Galleries, London (2009), MAMbo, Bologna (2010), und Manifesta 7, Bolzano (2008). Grilli lives in Brussels.

On the Werner Fenz Grant for Art in Public Space

Established by the City of Graz’s culture department in 2020—on the initiative of over two hundred artists, curators, journalists, and other members of the art world—the grant honors art historian and curator Werner Fenz (1944–2016) and his work in the field of art in public space, which has a long tradition at steirischer herbst. The previous winners were Hannes Zebedin (2022) and Clara Ianni (2024).