In a time of collapsing dichotomies and ethical quandaries, the 2023 edition of steirischer herbst turned to a character-driven storytelling strategy to explore how people navigate gray zones. It created a world populated by a cast of tricksters: a jazz-loving Nazi, an émigré artist, a dissident’s dissident, and a phantasmal heroine. This richly illustrated publication showcases the festival’s four group exhibitions held throughout Graz, including essays on the unusual protagonists, and documents the performances and cabaret shows.Every year for a month, STEIRISCHER HERBST, the oldest interdisciplinary festival of contemporary art in Europe, turns the city of Graz and the province of Styria in Austria into a parcours of installative and performative works. Since 1968, the festival has offered a platform for public debates, critical positions, and dialogues between the arts.