On the occasion of the Richard Wagner Festival 2023, the German conceptual artist Prof. Ottmar Hörl has developed a new sculpture project for Bayreuth on the initiative of Bernd Saupe, 1st chairman of the association “Markgräfin Wilhelmine Gesellschaft e. V.”. Friendly, the serial golden Richard Wagner figures spread their arms on the lawn of the Festival Hill in Bayreuth, stretching them out to the audience for an embrace, warmly welcoming everyone and conquering the hearts of the people. The deeply human gesture of embracing to greet is considered a sign of mutual appreciation, joy, openness, encouragement, connectedness, respect and solidarity. This gesture is universally embedded in the cultural memory of mankind. It is one of the great gestures, as it is often seen in opera; one that conveys positive emotions. At the same time, it is an everyday gesture that is also understood as a sign of tolerance.
The intention is to draw attention to the fact that the Wagner city, which celebrates the world-famous composer with special events every year, is always worth a visit. Richard Wagner’s vision of welcoming all opera enthusiasts to Bayreuth is transformed with the means of visual art into a contemporary visual language that reaches people of all generations worldwide.