Hermann Burger was one of the late 20th Century's most significant authors of German literature. In the course of his extremely meticulous research on Diabelli, Burger himself pledged the Magician's Oath; through the figure of the magician he often allows the reader to glimpse aspects of his own life: loneliness, a craving for recognition, and depression – but also a love for society's outcasts, whom he honors as outstanding personalities in his work. Hermann Burger died in February 1989 from an overdose of drugs.

Moussa Kone is an artist whose practice defies easy categorization, whether working in media such as drawing and sculpture or collaborating on interdisciplinary projects with other artists. The work of the Vienna-based artist often questions processes of social conditioning as well as the conditions attendant to the production and reception of art, and, as here, the position of the artist toward his audience.