What is Supergau for contemporary arts & what is the idea behind it?

After Flachgau and Lungau, Pinzgau is now also becoming a Supergau for contemporary arts. 12 stops between Krimml and Kaprun refer to the often unusual places where the artists’ projects can be experienced.

Supergau is an imaginary landscape and, for a limited period of time during the festival, lies like a second level over the existing topography of the Salzburg districts (commonly and historically called Gaue). In Supergau, the forest and meadow landscape, mountain landscape, house landscape, asphalt and concrete landscape become a stage, an artistic field of action. For 10 days, these spaces will be reorganised and used by artists.

Who can answer my questions about Supergau?

In our information kiosk in Mittersill (Hintergasse 2, 5730 Mittersill) you will find all information about the festival during the festival from 23 May to 1 June. Open daily from 12:00 – 18:00. You can also reach the info kiosk on +43 660 3418044.

Up-to-date information is available online on this website and also on Instagram at @supergau_festival.

The programme, our hiking map, is available at all project locations and also at the information kiosk. It contains the programme plan, the hiking map with the project locations marked on it, the project descriptions and everything about the Supertours and other supporting programme. Here you can find the program to download.

How do I get tickets for the festival/how much does it cost?

Admission is free for all Supergau Festival projects!

There is no limit to the number of visitors, but for our planning we would be happy to receive your registration for the Supertours, our guided tours: either by email to anmeldung@supergau.org or by phone +43 660 3418044. Of course, you can always join us spontaneously.

The trip to the Habachtal valley to the ‘icEscape’ and ‘Die Quellen’ projects can only be reached via a three-hour hike or with the ‘Smaragdexpress’ shuttle. The bus costs €10 per journey and €18 for a return journey. However, a limited number of free tickets are available at the information kiosk.

Where do I go when I feel like socialising?

During the day, the ‘Super Stadl’ project is open from 14:00 to 19:00 and always offers space to linger in the newly revitalised hay barns: In the ‘Ruhestadl’ to relax or also at one or other event in the ‘Showstadl’. In addition, ‘Das Krimmler Witzefachgeschäft’ opens its doors from 16:00 to 20:00 and in addition to the latest jokes, there is always room for a cool drink.

In the evening, old cars are transformed into a disco in the car park of the Kitzbühler Panoramabahn and from 17:00 to 20:00 there are cocktails and lots of fun, fun, fun. Later, when it gets dark, the Belwerk collective will bathe the landscape in new light at various locations on selected days between 20:00 and 23:00. The project will be accompanied by a research bivouac with drinks and an invitation to linger and observe.

What happens in wind and weather/rain?

Basically, all projects are designed to take place outside, so everything will go ahead as planned even if it rains. If this changes, there will be more information on a daily basis in the info kiosk, on the website in the programme and on Instagram under @supergau_festival.

In the event of heavy rain, the two theatre projects ‘Die Anhörung/naturalis_persona’ and ‘Der Original Pinzgauer Almabtrieb’ will probably be postponed to one of the two festival Sundays (25 May or 1 June). Daily updated details can also be found in the Infokiosk, on the website and on Instagram.

The projects ‘Die Quellen’ and ‘icEscape’ take place at approx. 1,800 metres in the Habachtal valley and it can get cold there. Please bring waterproof shoes, warm clothing and a change of clothes if necessary. From the second weekend onwards, there will be the opportunity to bathe in the pool that has been created – please bring bathing suits and towels.

How do I get to the Pinzgau and from A to B on site?

The festival will be providing free tickets for download on the website under Mobility from 19 May. Tickets are available from the Salzburg public transport company for the entire Salzburg region for travelling from the city of Salzburg and also just for the Pinzgau region for travelling between the projects.

We have also brought the ‘supermobil’ idea from the last two festivals to Pinzgau: we want to drive together, share vehicles and promote carpooling. Resource-conscious transport is reason enough to be ‘supermobil’ during the festival (and afterwards too!). With our stickers, you can make your willingness to offer a lift or your wish to be allowed to ride with us visible. Textile and car stickers are available at the info kiosk. The project bus stops act as meeting points.

If you don’t want to travel alone, you can also explore the festival together with our ‘Supertours’ and get an insight behind the scenes.

Where and how do I get to the event without stumbling with a wheeled vehicle? What if I can hear better than I can see?

We will be happy to help you plan your visit to the festival at the information kiosk and, if necessary, provide assistance with travelling to the event. Here is a list of the conditions at the respective project locations:

• ‘Das Krimmler Witzefachgeschäft’: The project can be reached via a somewhat uneven access road, car parking is available directly at the project location.
• Project ‘icEscape’: The various sound installations are part of an approx. 1.5-hour hiking trail up in the Habachtal valley. Sure-footedness and sturdy footwear are required. A valley station of the project can be found in the Bramberg Museum and is also accessible free of charge and barrier-free on Sunday 25 May as part of the Salzburg Museum Weekend.
• ‘Die Quellen”: The idea of the project is to build a dam together in the Habachtal valley; sure-footedness and sturdy, waterproof footwear are required here. Please bring a change of clothes and towels.
• The project “Alles hat ein Ende” is a video installation that can also be seen from the street.
• The project ‘insecure landscapes’ is a light installation and can and should also be seen from a distance from a flat surface.
• The ‘Happy Hour at the Disco Coupé’ project is located on a large, flat car park and can be reached without barriers
• The show barn of the ‘Super Stadl’ project can be visited at ground level via a road. The path to the other barns (Ruhestadl, Bergstadl and Versammelstadl) leads across meadows.
• The joint board weaving of the ‘Anbandeln’ project takes place on mostly asphalted surfaces without barriers. The final reading can also be attended barrier-free in the Haus der Senioren.
• The audio installation ‘Wohnoase 2057’ is on an uneven meadow and can only be heard by stepping close to it.
• The two projects ‘Der Original Pinzgauer Almabtrieb’ and ‘Die Anhörung/naturalis_persona’ are performative walks and do not take place exclusively on a flat surface.

Who is behind the festival?

Supergau is organised by the Province of Salzburg and implements a central measure within the framework of the cultural development plan KEP Land Salzburg. The province of Salzburg is thus expressly committed to promoting contemporary art production, with which new ideas are conceived, developed, realised and shown.

Supergau is liberated from the supposed dominance of the city with its programmed cultural spaces, liberated from municipal museums, theatres and cabarets that have to be filled with target audiences. Liberated from the concept of public space, because Supergau only knows landscape.

Which artists are going to be part of the festival 2025 in Pinzgau?

Andre Mayr, Marlene Mayr (Dekonstrukt) – Linz

Benedikt Alphart, Roman Gavryliuk – Wien, Ukraine

Café Ibiza (Gabriel Jacobs, Alexander Klapsch, Antonia Leicht, Konrad Schlüter, Sophie Schwarz) – Rotterdam, Berlin, Wien

Detours (Anja Fritz und Silvia Gioberti (Guerilla Architects), Berit Fischer, Leon Klaßen) – Berlin

HB & Töchter: Marlene Hauser, Flora Besenbäck, Academy of Fine Brass, Johannes Gierlinger, Georg Haider, Barbara Juch, Julia Müllner,  Simon Nagy, Johanna Steindl, Elias Stemeseder, Katarina Maria Trenk – Wien

Julia Schäfer – Stuttgart

Lola Göller, Flavio Degen – Berlin

Nora Grundtner, Katharina J. Ferner, Marlen Mairhofer – Salzburg

Pioniersplanters (Laurens Decoster, Bert Joostens, Sander Wallays) – Belgien

TEMPORA / Veronika Glatzner (Sebastian Eckl, Veronika Glatzner, Julie Guigonis, Bernhard Höchtel, Phillipp Laabmayr, Laura Malmberg,  Didi Resch, Paul Sturminger, Alice Peterhans) – Salzburg, Wien

Kollektiv Belwerk: Tillmann Gebauer, Constantin Graw, Theresa Buchberger, Antonia Schlaich, Julian Linden – Weimar

Die Witzpartie (Pia Hofmann, Melanie Hofmann, Susanne Pöchacker, Michael Liehmann) – Krimml

How were the artists selected?

The artists listed above were selected from over 500 submissions by an independent jury. The open nature of the festival is reflected in the composition of the jury and it was important to us to have perspectives from the Pinzgau region as well as from outside. The following people were part of the jury for the Supergau 2025 edition in Pinzgau:

How can I participate in the Supergau project outside of an artistic organisation?

The festival marks the conclusion of a process that begins a year earlier with the first artist residency in the respective district. Several residencies and work phases are planned during this period. We want to connect local cultural actors with other national and international artists and offer them a common platform. Many artistic projects rely on local cooperation and collaboration with local people or are site-specific in their design. We welcome any willingness and openness regarding a possible collaboration: any insider tips are helpful and exciting exchanges on topics and interesting facts are welcome.

How did the name come about?

Gau is an ambiguous term for landscape, region or administrative unit. It probably comes from the Old High German word gouwe, gouwi – the word is related to Aue, a richly irrigated, fertile landscape. The term “Gau”, which has had a negative connotation since the Second World War but is still attached to these districts (Lungau, Pinzgau Flachgau, Tennengau and Pongau), is being recharged with the art project because they are simply super landscapes for the arts. The Supergau as a landscape has absolutely nothing to do with the SuperGAU (Greatest Accident to be Supposed) – and is not written as such.

How often does the festival take place and where & when next?

Until 2029, a different district in Salzburg is to be covered every two years. The biennial festival celebrated its premiere in Flachgau in 2021 and transformed Lungau into a contemporary arts superhero in 2023. In 2025, the festival will continue in Pinzgau at the end of May/beginning of June.

Where can I find information about the festivals in Flachgau and Lungau and insights into the projects?

All information about the 2023 projects in Lungau can be found here, all information about the 2021 projects in Flachgau can be found here. If you want to browse even further and travel to the Supergau 2023, you can hear, see and read impressions and insights in the magazine…

Where can I find press reviews and press material?

All this can be found behind the press button. Further exciting insights and outlooks can be found in our magazine.

How much does admission cost and where can I get tickets for the festival?

Admission to the festival is free of charge, so there are no tickets or even a limit for visitors.