False Gods – Adi Anna Telezhynski (IL/UA)
‘Amid global crises and radical upheavals, the Ars Electronica Festival asks what role art can play – as a catalyst for new perspectives, as a space for reflection, and as a driving force for a jointly shaped future.’
These lines from the Ars Electronica Festival fit like a glove to a place like ours, if you take a quick look at its history and its present. In response to Napoleonic advances in the early 19th century, a line of defensive towers was built around Linz starting in 1830. However, this did not provide much security, as new technology with more powerful cannons with greater range soon emerged, and after only a few decades, the towers were abandoned or used for other purposes.
Ultimately, however, we breathed new, meaningful life into ‚Turm 20 Cäcilia‘ with art and culture in 2021, and we are now able to share this with a wider, international audience.
From 3 to 7 September 2025, Linz will once again become a hotspot for the international media art scene. Exhibitions, performances, concerts and conferences will take place at various festival venues throughout the city, most of them at POSTCITY, the festival’s central venue.
Outside a tower, a rigid Golem stands—a monument to human hubris. Inside, an iridescent flame flickers—elusive, alive. Together, they speak to a moment of collaps—where panic births idols and salvation hides in the unseen. What have we built to protect us? What have we buried to survive?
(Adi Anna Telezhynski; Ars Electronica Festival)
Artist and stage designer Adi Anna Telezhynski presents False Gods, a two-part inflatable installation that explores the fragile intersection between fear, faith, and the symbols we create to feel safe. Outside, a towering Golem looms—a protective figure turned hollow idol—while inside, a flickering, iridescent Flame offers no salvation, only presence. Drawing from her lived experience between two countries fractured by war, Telezhynski reflects on what we build to protect ourselves, and what is lost in the process.
The Meet the Artist event takes place at Turm 20 on the Pöstlingberg—one of Linz’s 1830s Maximilian Towers, now revitalised as a cultural venue. Just a 25-minute walk from the Ars Electronica Centre, Turm 20 offers nature, history, and a magnificent view over the city. With a bar and a relaxed atmosphere, it’s a perfect spot to unwind, enjoy good company, and take in the scenery from above.
Opening hours of the installation Wednesday – Sunday from 14 to 20
Read more about ‚False Gods‘ / Ars Electronica
ROUTE TO TURM 20 FROM THE ARS ELECTRONICA CENTER
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ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL MAP 2025
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