Once, according to legend, Upper Austria was an El Dorado, a land of incredible wealth, ruled by women with legendary powers. Over the centuries, however, the secret women’s unions were forgotten — like gold in the Alps. But the gold bonnets are still a powerful symbol of the matriarchy of the time, and traces of the gold of the past can be found in unexpected places.

Artists: Laurien Bachmann / Sebastian Six, Reinhold Bidner, Sam Bunn, Karin Fisslthaler, Katharina Gruzei, Hannes Langeder, Rainer Nöbauer, Elisabeth Peterlik, Jakob Dietrich / Thomas Philipp / Andre Zogholy (qujOchÖ), Claudia Seigmann, Oona Valarie Serbest, Betty Wimmer.

qujOchÖ’s “Bricklebrit” is a parable about the humming promotion of art and culture in seemingly thrifty, but somehow magically generous times:

The second son had come to a miller and apprenticed to him. When he had his years around, the master said: “Because you have held yourself so well, I give you a donkey of a special kind, he doesn’t pull the cart and doesn’t carry bags either”. — The young journeyman asked, “What is its use? “He spits gold,” replied the miller, “if you put him on a cloth and say: Bricklebrit! so the good animal spits out pieces of gold for you, back and front. — This is a beautiful thing,” said the journeyman, thanked the master and went into the world. If he needed gold, he only had to say “Bricklebrit” to his donkey, it rained gold pieces, and he had no more trouble than to pick them up from the earth. Where he went, the best was good enough for him, and the more expensive the better, for he always had a full bag.

Links:
https://www.ooekulturquartier.at/events/wunderkammer-oberoesterreich-el-dorado-ob-der-enns
https://ooe.orf.at/stories/3011768
https://www.nachrichten.at/kultur/motohall-foerderung-verwirrung-wegen-dubioser-akten-auf-ktm-homepage;art16,3165163
https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000108468388/ktm-motohall-kulturplattform-prueft-klage-wegen-foerderung