Patti Smith is a rock star, bestseller author and legend. Her artistic prowess, her political awareness, her hymns and her uncompromising language have made her an icon. Countless collaborations and friendships (including that with Christoph Schlingensief) have connected her with the most significant artists of her generation. That is only one of many reasons to place the ‘godmother of punk’ firmly among the pantheon of the Republic of Gods, where she will play a concert at Arena, participate in the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) opening event and have yet another evening to call her own. For that night, Patti Smith has a free hand. Whether it is a reading, a talk or a trip down memory lane, one thing is certain: it is a rare opportunity to come so close to the woman who has inspired generations and embodies the courage for independence and the power of poetic resistance like no other.

A project of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna