Olaf Nicolai – «As Strange to Myself as Possible …»
Opening: Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 6:00 PM
Kurtheater Baden, Pavilion, Parkstrasse 20, 5401 Baden
Welcome Speeches:
Uwe Heinrichs, Artistic Director, Kurtheater Baden
Christoph Doswald, Artistic Director, ART FLOW
The artist will be present.
The Kurtheater Baden becomes the stage for a special artistic intervention: internationally renowned conceptual artist Olaf Nicolai presents his new work «As Strange to Myself as Possible …» on the roof of the pavilion behind the theatre.
The point of departure is a quote from the autobiography of German playwright and author Heiner Müller, which becomes the guiding motif of the piece: «Until my death, I must live with my contradictions, as strange to myself as possible.»
Inspired by a little-known historical link between Heiner Müller and the Kurtheater Baden, Olaf Nicolai explores themes such as estrangement, transformation, and identity – central issues for a spa town in flux. The pavilion, with its subtle light installation, becomes a silent protagonist, visible only from the outside. In this way, the park itself turns into a stage, and space becomes reflection.
This project is a collaboration with the Kurtheater Baden.