If you find yourself in Vienna this week, you’re in luck: from September 24 to 27 the Austrian capital is host to viennacontemporary, the country’s premier international art fair. This year it’s being held in the recently renovated Marx Halle, built in the late 19th century by famed architect Rudolf Frey. As you walk through the fair’s selection of galleries, be sure and look up to admire the historic wrought-iron structure framing the contemporary art all around you.
When you’ve had your fill at the fair, grab a schnitzel and take a stroll: with the quality and quantity of gallery and museum exhibitions throughout the city, even the most seasoned art buffs will be footsore by the end of their tour.
Two shows ending this weekend are John Skoog’s “VÄRN” and Kiki Kogelnik’s “great, great, great, …” so be sure to catch them in their final days. John Skoog received the Baloise Art Prize at Art Basel 2014 for his video installation, which you can still watch at the mumok through September 27. At Kovacek & Zetter GmbH, take in the work by the late Kiki Kogelnik, considered to be one of Austria’s greatest Pop-y artists.
At Galerie Meyer Kainer, check out the wild collaboration between Kerstin Brätsch and Debo Eilers, featuring explosive, sprawling sculptures in hot neon colors. Meanwhile at Krobath, the group exhibition “Notes on Sculpture: A plea for deceleration” features sculpture of a decidedly quieter, more meditative variety, but no less intriguing. At MAK is a major survey of Romanian art, “Mapping Bucharest: Art, Memory, and Revolution 1916-2016,” providing both a view into Romania’s past, and a glimpse of its more hopeful future, as expressed by its artists.
And lastly, do not pass go, do not collect $200, and do not miss the breathtaking installations at TBA21 by Brazillian artist Ernesto Neto and the Huni Kuin people. This collaboration is both immersive and magical, and can be explored until October 25.
Pace yourself: you have a lot to see!
Exhibition: “NOTES ON SCULPTURE: A plea for deceleration”
When: September 10–October 17, 2015
Where: Krobath, Eschenbachgaße 9, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “Julia Bornefeld ‘somniflos’”
When: September 4–October 24, 2015
Where: Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman, Maria-Theresien-Straße 34 Innsbruck, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “John Skoog. VÄRN”
When: June 26–September 27, 2015
Where: mmok, Museumplatz 1, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “Hanne Darboven: Konstruktion / Modelle (1966–2008)”
When: September 11–November 4, 2015
Where: Galerie Crone, Getreidemarkt 14, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “KAYA V (Kerstin Brätsch / Debo Eilers)”
When: September 11–November 5, 2015
Where: Galerie Meyer Kainer, Eschenbachgasse 9, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “Ernesto Neto and the Huni Kuin: Aru Kuxipa | Sacred Secret”
When: June 25–October 25, 2015
Where: TBA21 and Kunsthalle Krems, Scherzergasse 1A, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “KIKI KOGELNIK • great, great, great, …”
When: September 12–September 26, 2015
Where: Kovacek & Zetter GmbH, Stallburggasse 2, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “PRODUKTION – curated by Kolja Reichert”
When: September 11–October 24, 2015
Where: Galerie nächst St. Stephan, Grünangergasse 1, Vienna, Austria
Exhibition: “Mapping Bucharest: Art, Memory, and Revolution 1916–2016”
When: June 11–October 4, 2015
Where: MAK (Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art), Stubenring 5, Vienna, Austria