TETHYS

Exhibition Opening & Evening Reading with Michael Stavarič: Thu, June 25, 2026, 7 PM
Art Workshops "Animals in Tethys/Drifting Memories" with Doroteya Petrova & Gerda K. Prantl:
July 10 and 11, 2026, 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM (Ages 6 – 12/13 and older & adults)
(Registration for workshops: bibliothekwd@a1.net)
Finissage with Project Presentation: Thu, July 16, 2026, 7 PM
(Admission and workshops free!)

What does the byssus of an oyster feel like on the skin? What does seawater smell like when it evaporates?
In this participatory exhibition project in a vacant property near Schloss Kirchstetten in the Weinviertel, artists Cinthia Mitterhuber, Doroteya Petrova, Gerda Katharina Prantl, and author Michael Stavarič connect to the significance of the element water in the primordial sea Tethys – as a symbol for the emergence of life and its prehistoric connection to the region – through the media of reading performance, painting, text projection, and spatial drawing. Michael Stavarič will open the exhibition evening with a reading, while interactive workshops with the artists will take place during the exhibition.

Organic compounds from algae and microorganisms that evaporate with water create an intensely perceived scent of the sea. Water, on the other hand, is odorless, colorless, and has no distinct taste. Nevertheless, deep childhood memories are anchored within us from our first intense encounters with water. Water as a habitat for life, as a flowing communication channel for all possible elements, as a catalyst for our feelings; the exhibition space is to be flooded with such waves of memory: the audience can actively engage in dialogue with exhibits and texts, "text bodies" and showcases are continuously formed in this way.