Puppet theatre has been part of everyday and entertainment culture in Central Europe for centuries. Especially the Kasperl theatre shaped generations of children and adults and continuously developed further – between popular amusement, pedagogy, social criticism and artistic freedom.
The special exhibition with the project title „Figurentheater zwischen Geschichte und Gegenwart“ is dedicated to this multifaceted art form. At its centre are hand puppets, supplemented by marionettes, rod puppets and finger puppets. Historical references, well-known figures, regional traditions and contemporary interpretations are presented together and put into relation with one another.
A central element of the exhibition is the new construction of a Kasperl theatre, which is staged as an allegedly renovated „original k. u. k. Kasperltheater“. This deliberately set artistic claim is part of the exhibition's narrative and is understood as a playful engagement with history, memory and nostalgia.