Paranoia TV

Overnight somewhere in April 2020, the 54th edition of the steirischer herbst festival in Graz, Austria, turned into a semi-fictitious media company, a broadcaster called Paranoia TV.Newly commissioned works by 52 artists and collectives included feature films, binge-worthy serial formats, and online discussions galore. Assuming the role of a broadcaster did not just involve moving to the virtual, however.Presence, as well as absence, are always inscribed in media; television is both a celebration of reality as well as that reality's complete absence. It is perhaps the next platform contemporary art can fully critically embrace.Artists include Josef Dabernig, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Gelatin, Ahmet Ögüt, Joanna Piotrowska, John Smith, and Anna Witt, among many others.