Jury Statement Tabori Award 2023: Heinrich Horwitz

With a fluid collective, Heinrich Horwitz stages artistic reflections of non-binary being and the societal roles of gender and sex.

As a director but also as a performer and choreographer – sometimes all in one production – Heinrich Horwitz “queerifies” narratives, writes “Herstories” instead of one his-story and shapes utopian scenarios that repeatedly have myths and traditions as points of departure. Thus the figure of the Amazon is explored for its queer-feminist relevance in „Glauben Sie unbedingt, dass ich eine Amazone bin“ (2020), and then transferred to the current day in the activist-ceremonial procession „Amazon Rising“ (2021 and 2022) through Berlin Mitte in order to let her be resurrected as a cyber-feminist.

Questioning history and tradition with queerness is also the focus of „DRAG and DRUM”. Queerness is contrasted with Jewish rituals, with the result that the artistic exploration and new orientation of societal attitudes and structures create a foundation for diversity and equality that is as sensual as it is challenging.

The desire for a community that celebrates diversity and overcomes dissent is inherent in Heinrich Horwitz‘s performances.

The links between performance, dance and music with activism and lived experiences succeeds in creating surprising art with strong images from a marginalized perspective that occasionally breaks open forms and is as prominent as it is singular in the scene.

The expert jury of the Fonds Darstellende Künste is granting the Tabori Award 2023, endowed with 15,000 euro, to Heinrich Horwitz.