Dal 2 al 5 Ottobre si svolgerà il ricchissimo programma di Viennafair che in questi ultimi anni è diventato un punto di riferimento per l'arte contemporanea europea, soprattutto con un attento sguardo all'est.
La rassegna si presenta ricca di appuntamenti, dagli eventi performativi alle conferenze, con progetti ed esposizioni particolari e ricercati.
Press release
INSPIRATION AND PARTICIPATION
Today more than ever, Vienna is a center of social and cultural exchange. As a historical bridge between the Western hemisphere and the Eastern and Southeastern regions of Europe, Vienna is a place of cultural mediation. Cultural scenes of the West and especially in the European Union have come to value Vienna as an inspiring cultural capital in Central Europe.
VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary has played a vital role in firmly anchoring Austrian galleries and the city of Vienna in the international art market by stimulating exchange between different art scenes and attracting more and more art collectors.
The almost comprehensive participation of the Austrian gallery scene in VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary is a clear reflection of this international scope. The list ranges from the editions specialist Artelier Contemporary (Graz) to renowned Viennese galleries such as Kerstin Engholm, Ernst Hilger, Georg Kargl Fine Arts, Christine König Galerie, Galerie Krinzinger, Galerie Knoll, Meyer Kainer, and Galerie nächst St. Stephan – Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, and reaches west to Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art (Salzburg/Vienna), Galerie Nikolaus Ruzicska (Salzburg), and Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman (Innsbruck/Vienna). Younger generations are also represented with Viktor Bucher, Andreas Huber, Emanuel Layr, and Michaela Stock.
Among the international galleries Germany once again tops the ranks with the most participants, including Berlin-based galleries AANDO FINE ART, Crone, Volker Diehl, KOW, Michael Schultz, and ŻAK | BRANICKA as well as Andreas Binder and MaxWeberSixFriedrich from Munich. Carbon12 from the United Arab Emirates, The Agency (Great Britain), Taik Persons (Finland), Galerie Geukens & De Vil and Guy Pieters Gallery (Belgium), Flatland Gallery from the Netherlands, Shirin Gallery (Iran) & Mark Hachem Gallery (France/Lebanon), Steve Turner (USA), and H.A.N. from South Korea are other international participants.
The majority of the Eastern European participants comes from Romania, the focus country of the OMV sponsored project DIALOG: NEW ENERGIES. Russian galleries include, among others, Regina Gallery, Gallery Marina Gisich, and Triumph Gallery. Hungary is represented with six galleries, among them Kisterem, acb Galeria, and Ani Molnár. Coming from Poland are Czułość, last year’s winner of the Emerging Gallery Prize from Vienna Chamber of Commerce, the longstanding participant lokal_30, and the young Monopol Gallery. Drdova Gallery and SVIT (Czech Republic), Temnikova & Kasela (Estonia), Alma from Latvia, Vartai from Lithuania, and Galerija Skuc (Slovenia) round out the list of Eastern European galleries.
Reliable partners of the Eastern and Southeastern European focus
The focus on Eastern and Southeastern Europe has been supported for ten years by Erste Bank as the main sponsor in the framework of the SponsoringVALUE program. Erste Bank defines sponsoring as the voluntary advancement and support of institutions, initiatives, and projects in all realms of culture, society, and education. The SponsoringVALUE program reflects the engagement and social responsibility of the company and its willingness to invest in values that it believes in. In Erste Bank’s eyes, sponsoring always involves the preservation of values.
Their support directly benefits galleries from Central and Southeastern Europe by facilitating their participation in the fair. Through this commitment Erste Bank, part of the Erste Group of companies, which are active in the CEE region, promotes the development of the art scenes in Central and Southeastern European countries and thereby makes a decisive contribution to the thematic focus of VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary.
Austrian and international cultural institutions at VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary
This year Austrian and international cultural institutions will once again present their programs at VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary. Austria: : ]a[ academy of fine arts Vienna, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Blockfrei – Independent Art From Serbia (Vienna), Grazer Kunstverein, Kunsthalle Wien, Kontakt. Art Collect, (Vienna), mumok Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, and Red Carpet Art Award (Vienna). Germany: Kunstmeile Hamburg. Russia: Jewish Museum And Tolerance Center (Moscow), National Centre for Contemporary Arts (Moscow), and Voronezh Center For Contemporary Art (Voronezh).
“International exchange between the galleries but also interaction with the artists and art institutions in Vienna are among our key intents. I am very pleased that we can present an extensive accompanying program and a focused selection of national and international galleries on the occasion of the 10-year jubilee of VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary,” remarks Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt, artistic director of VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary, on the 2014 edition of the international art fair.
Special exhibitions with young international art and art institutions from Austria and Eastern Europe
OMV Special Project: DIALOG: NEW ENERGIES
Already since 2011 OMV has supported special presentations at VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary. In the context of the OMV Special Project DIALOG: NEW ENERGIES this year the spotlight is placed on more than 30 exciting artistic positions in contemporary art from Romania presented by five galleries – Anaid Art Gallery, Anca Poterasu Gallery, Jecza Gallery, Galeria Plan B, und Zorzini Gallery – and two non-profit spaces: ATELIER 030202 and ALERT studio.
Romanian contemporary art is considered a special phenomenon and has attracted great attention from the public in the last years. The renowned art expert Andreiana Mihail will curate DIALOG: NEW ENERGIES. Romania’s cultural-historic development in the last 50 years forms the heart of the presentation. For the first time a curatorial concept will be realized, which elucidates Romania’s most important contemporary art communities in an enlightening chronicle. The project includes classical positions of artists, who are considered as emerging due to the lack of exhibition venues during Communism, and young artists who tell their own personal stories beyond sociopolitical perspectives. The aim of DIALOG: NEW ENERGIES is to present the two, perhaps most significant existential attitudes in recent Romanian history – adapting and assuming – in a balanced relationship between a clear curatorial line and a commercial framework.
OMV would like to contribute to cultural dialogue in the field of contemporary fine arts with DIALOG: NEW ENERGIES. In addition to Austria and Turkey, Romania counts among the integrated international oil and gas company’s core markets. For ten years OMV has been the majority shareholder of OMV Petrom, the largest oil and gas producer in South Eastern Europe with headquarters in Bucharest.
ZONE1 showcases exciting solo presentations
This October ZONE1 again offers a unique opportunity to discover the work of emerging artists. The Austrian Federal Chancellery again supports participating artists from Austria in this framework. On display: Asgar/Gabriel (Galerie Ernst Hilger / Hilger NEXT, Vienna), Alfredo Barsuglia (Projektraum Viktor Bucher, Vienna), Cäcilia Brown (Gabriele Senn Galerie, Vienna), Julia Haller (Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna), Benjamin Hirte (Galerie Emanuel Layr, Vienna), Markus Hofer (Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art Salzburg, Vienna), Claudia Larcher (Galerie Lisi Hämmerle, Bregenz), Tina Lechner (Galerie Hubert Winter, Vienna), Robert Muntean (Charim Galerie, Vienna), Misha Stroj (Kerstin Engholm Gallery, Vienna), Lukas Troberg (Galerie Michaela Stock, Vienna), and each for one day Zenita Komad, Rosmarie Lukasser, Bernd Oppl, Linus Riepler, and Anja Ronacher (Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna).
VIENNA Focus
With the special exhibition VIENNA Focus VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary augments its review of Southeastern Europe with a presentation of art institutions and artistic positions from Azerbaijan. Acting as a partner in this initiative is the YARAT Foundation, founded in 2011 by Aida Mahmudova, an organization that plays a leading role in promoting an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan. To this end YARAT stimulates a dialogue between local and international networks as well as art institutions, galleries, and museums.
VIENNA Talks – the platform for art collectors
This year VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary will dedicate special attention to young art collectors. Already in a number of international meetings in the run-up to the fair first networks have been established, which will be presented at “Young Collectors Talk”. With this initiative VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary opens up new paths for the participating galleries to a young and enthusiastic community of collectors.
Following the great success in 2013, this year the collectors’ forum “20 four 7 – Collecting the New Contemporary” will again provide insights into the collection strategies and passions of major international art collectors. Parallel to VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary, there is also a daily discussion program that expands upon the themes of the special presentations and presents prospects on international developments in the art world. Art enthusiasts can deepen their knowledge about contemporary art movements and learn more about new artistic practices and positions.
VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary offers a network for curators
In the effort to strengthen relations with the Viennese gallery scene, departure – The Creative Agency of the City of Vienna presents the project “curated by_vienna 2014” at their own booth at VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary. Furthermore, the art fair stimulates interaction between galleries and international curators with the newly introduced section REFLECTIONS. Galleries are invited to develop special presentations together with curators and to showcase these – also at special conditions – at VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary.
Three prizes this year for the best booth design!
For the ninth time Vienna Chamber of Commerce supports the art and gallery scene in Vienna through its cooperation with VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary. The new president of Vienna Chamber of Commerce DI Walter Ruck has decided to continue the already well-positioned Emerging and Established Gallery Prize for young and established galleries – each endowed with 5000 EUR prize money. In 2014 the prize will solely be awarded to Viennese galleries with the aim of honoring the performance of local galleries, who are member operations of Vienna Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, an International Gallery Prize will be presented to the amount of 5000 EUR, which is open to both Austrian galleries and galleries from other participating countries.
VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary – active participation for all those interested in art
Besides the programs for representatives from the art industry, artists, and art collectors, VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary presents itself as an art fair that aims for an accessible and stimulating approach to contemporary art.
An intergenerational dialogue about contemporary art will take place in the framework of VIENNA Gold. Parallel to the solo presentations in ZONE1, different generations – young Austrian artists and seniors – will meet at VIENNA Gold for discussions and exchange about their views on contemporary art. Guided tours with the artists are offered daily (October 2, 3, 4, and 5 at 2:00 pm).
This year VIENNA Studio again offers students the opportunity to explore the fair in guided tours – free entrance every day from 3:00 pm on!
VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary offers art education for art enthusiasts from all age groups. In the framework of VIENNA Family, adults and children, two years old and above, have the opportunity to discover their creativity and to try out different painting techniques and tools to put color, form, and movement to paper in an open painting studio (on the weekend October 4 & 5, from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm at the VIENNA Family booth). Join in at any time!
