A poster at the Salzburg Art Association warns of an air raid. A passerby informs the police. They assume there is an acute threat and begin to evacuate the building. Nerves are on edge.

There's a catch: the poster isn't real; it's part of an exhibition by media and performance artist Rabih Mroué. It's a reproduction of a leaflet dropped by the US Army over Iraq to announce impending bombings. The copy, intended as a critical examination of political conditions, breaks into reality. How much art can reality actually tolerate.

In his lecture performance «Before Falling Seek the Assistance of Your Cane», Rabih Mroué takes the events in Salzburg as an opportunity to examine the dazzling relationship between art and the public sphere. Mroué, known for his captivating texts and performances, is a kind of artiste associé of “It's The Real Thing.” This is his fourth time with us.