At the core of this publication is a 16mm film sequence by Mathias Poledna, portraying a fictional band during rehearsal. Rather than documenting reality, the film meticulously stages a moment that exemplifies the ephemeral aesthetics of late 20th-century popular culture.

Poledna draws on the visual and sonic codes of the British post-punk and pop music scene of the 1970s and 1980s, translating them into a reduced, almost timeless cinematic language.

Accompanying texts by Pamela M. Lee and Diedrich Diederichsen – presented in both English and German – contextualize the work historically and theoretically. A wealth of black-and-white and color images expands the scope of the film, offering documentary and iconographic perspectives.

Actualité was published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Grazer Kunstverein, held from July 4 to August 5, 2001. Conceived as an autonomous artist’s book, the publication does not merely illustrate the filmic project, but transforms it into a readable and visual reflection on representation, mediality, and cultural memory.