The work of the current Writer of the City of Graz, Kinga Tóth, can be described with the label “cross-border literature.” In her artistic practice, the German-Hungarian woman of letters knows no boundaries: again and again she operates in her presentations at the interfaces between literature, visual and fine arts, and music. In respect to the present exhibition “Ábstract Hungary” by the artist Ákos Ezer, Tóth is focusing on this principle from a content-related perspective as well. During her performance in the “Bar Talk” series, Kinga Tóth thematizes conceptual and real thresholds, national identities, and the transfer between zones of transit. The artist will make her newest texts audiovisually experienceable for the audience and then offer insight into her transdisciplinary strategies. Afterwards, we invite you to share a glass of Țuică with us at the bar by Peles Empire.

Processes of transfer in art and an understanding of exhibition space as a site for social discourse are central themes in the concept for the exhibition “The Sky Opens Twice” by Peles Empire. In the apse of the Künstlerhaus, the Berlin artist duo is reconstructing their “bar sculpture,” which was first seen in 2017 as part of the Skulptur Projekte in Münster. It is here that the “Bar Talks” invite visitors to gather in a relaxed, summery atmosphere to speak with local and international artists about creative activity, failure, and the art scene. In this context, the Künstlerhaus becomes a platform for exploration and encounter. In an informal talk with the audience and the KM– curatorial team, artistic techniques, thematic discourses, and the reception of art will be discussed.

Kinga Tóth (*1983 in Sárvár, lives in Graz), a German-Hungarian (sound) poet illustrator, cultural manager, journalist, and linguist, is known for her performances and installations. In addition to her contributions to diverse associations and music projects, Tóth is also the front woman of the “Tóth Kina Hegyfalu Project” as well as a member of the board of the József Attila Circle, a literary association of young writers. For her work, this specialist in communication has received many scholarships and distinctions, including the Solitude Akademie fellowship, the LCB Stipendium Berlin in 2017, and the Hazai Attila Literature Prize in the same year. Tóth writes her poems, short stories, and plays in the languages English, German, or Hungarian. Her most recent publication is the poetry collection “MAISLIEDER” issued by Thanhäuser Verlag in 2019. Her sound performance “NEUHAUT” was performed in 2017 in Stuttgart, Graz, and Budapest. Since 2018 Kinga Tóth has been the Writer of the City of Graz.