H13 Lower Austria Prize for Performance 2026

It has been decided: the winner of the H13 Lower Austria Performance Prize 2026 is the dance and performance artist Magdalena Forster. More than 50 project proposals were submitted to Kunstraum this year. In the end, Forster prevailed with her work Cow Notes. Statement from the H13 Jury 2026:

"The performance Cow Notes by Magdalena Forster transforms Kunstraum Niederoesterreich into a space of multilayered experiences. Sound, body, and material entwine in a cacophonous interplay. The overarching idea is an acoustic dialogue between human and nonhuman agents: a dynamic setting of metal objects and choreography attunes the audience to collective perception and prompts a shared biophonic soundscape between species. In this work, Forster expands her practice to engage in the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment, and continues to pursue this process collaboratively and across various media.

The jury was captivated by Forster’s unique methodology in which sound emerges from synergies between body, material, and space, and unfolds in our bodies through resonance, interruption, and silence. Her works play with breaks and dissonances, while evading harmonic dissolution. Empathy manifests here not as a sentimental gesture but rather as a physical practice of listening that generates a shared space.

In our present age, when empathy is eroding and indifference is on the rise, Forster’s prize-winning performance project highlights the political dimension of this practice. As perception becomes tangible as a shared, even interspecific space, we open ourselves to new forms of relationship and responsibility."

The H13 Jury 2026 included Antje Weitzel (Artistic Director, Künstlerhaus Bethanien), Marijana Schneider (Curator, Museum der Moderne Salzburg), Michikazu Matsune (Artist), Frederike Sperling (Artistic Director, Kunstraum Niederoesterreich).

Since 2023, the Kunstraum has awarded the H13 prize together with renowned international partner institutions. In 2026, the H13 will take place in cooperation with Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin). For over 50 years, Künstlerhaus Bethanien has been a central force in Berlin’s international art scene. Its residency program brings together artists from across the globe, offering them the opportunity to live and work in Berlin and share their projects with diverse audiences.

Alongside the prize money, the 2026 H13 winner will receive a two-week residency at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, which offers possibilities for artistic exchange and international networking.