Austria’s leading international art fair viennacontemporary will take place from 12th–15th September 2024 in Halle D of Messe Wien, Vienna. Marking 10 years of viennacontemporary, the 2024 iteration will take place in a new venue and bring together more gallery participants than ever before, under the direction of the newly appointed Artistic Director Francesca Gavin. Introducing a diverse public programme and collateral events throughout the city and with more than 90 established galleries participating – including exciting newcomers from Central and Eastern Europe, and further afield – the fair once again promises to be a highlight in the international art calendar.
The 2024 viennacontemporary admissions committee welcomes Paolo Zani from ZERO… as its newest member. Together with Ursula Krinzinger from Galerie Krinzinger, Nikolaus Oberhuber from KOW, Gregor Podnar from Galerie Gregor Podnar, and Sophia Vonier from Galerie Sophia Vonier in Salzburg, Zani will play a key role in selecting the list of exhibitors for 2024, to be announced in early June.
To kick off the 2024 programme launch, viennacontemporary is delighted to announce three initiatives for 2024: VCT STATEMENT: ENERGY, a new section titled CONTEXT, and the return of ZONE1.
VCT STATEMENT exhibition: The Colour of Energy
Bridging current social and political issues and new developments in contemporary art, VCT STATEMENT is a comprehensive special project set to take place during the fair. Curated by Mirela Baciak, this year’s edition will deal with one of the most pressing issues of our time: Energy. Titled, The Colour of Energy, this two-chapter exhibition will look at how energy colours our past, present, and future.
Anchored in the idea that energy’s primary colours are geopolitics, technology, and people, The Colour of Energy seeks to reflect on the often-overlooked energy flows essential for comprehending the dynamics of today’s world. The exhibition, the first chapter of which will be presented at and during viennacontemporary and the second in Salzburg the following week, explores our entanglements with sun and wind as well as oil, coal, gas, and metals, and shows how the different intensities of energy connect politics and cultures.
The showcase will feature a new performance by Sophie Jung, rooted in the theme of climate anxiety; a moving image installation by Shubigi Rao, which draws upon her critical stance on environmental exploitation; and an installation by Liv Bugge that invites viewers to contemplate the visibility and invisibility of oil, mirroring its omnipresence in the Norwegian context. The full artist list will be published later this year.
Mirela Baciak, curator of VCT STATEMENT, says:
It is with great anticipation that I approach the collaboration with viennacontemporary to curate The Colour of Energy, an exhibition that reflects one of the most critical discussions of our time—the flows of energy, and its transformation for a habitable future. The focus of this exhibition is on sensory exploration of the narratives and debates surrounding energy through colours. In the show’s context, each colour becomes a narrative. As this is a vast topic, I am happy that we are able to give it two stages, one in Vienna and one in Salzburg.
The VCT STATEMENT programme also includes two international panel discussions held during viennacontemporary in collaboration with ERSTE Foundation. Titled Nexus Thinking – Energy, Future, Sustainability, the panels will encourage critical conversations through the lens of art, imagining a world where sustainability is the norm, amplifying the voices of those individuals and initiatives that are leading the way in tackling climate change, and underlining the commitment of viennacontemporary to promoting interdisciplinary dialogue and social engagement through art. The forum serves as a platform for critical discourse on pressing global issues, with a focus on the energy transition and the sustainable use of resources. The participants of this year’s panel discussion will be announced in the coming months.
Francesca Gavin, Artistic Director of viennacontemporary, says:
Energy is the fuel that enables people to exist and communicate. How that energy is created, extracted, disseminated, and used raises questions about how humanity functions politically, socially, and ecologically. From heat to light, wind to gas, physical labour to mental power, energy manifests in dynamic forms, shaping human existence in profound ways. Energy is one of the most pressing topics of today and will define how we exist in the future.
CONTEXT
CONTEXT is a new section of ten curated individual presentations by artists from the late 20th century, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. With the inaugural edition curated by Pernilla Holmes, CONTEXT aims to anchor the artworks presented in the fair and, in a wider sense, Vienna, within its vibrant cultural history, emphasising how the present emerges from an exciting recent past.
Pernilla Holmes, curator of CONTEXT, says:
art history is undergoing a revision to push beyond its confines and include wonderful and important artists who were once overlooked, often on the basis of gender, ethnicity, location, or education. With this section I hope to tell the stories of some of those artists, in partnership with the galleries who believe in them.
ZONE1
This year’s ZONE1, the fair’s section focusing on emerging talents with a connection to Austria, will be curated by Bruno Mokross. With ten solo exhibitions of artists who live or have lived in Vienna and are represented by local and international galleries, Mokross examines what attracts international artists to Vienna and how the living conditions in the city affect their artistic practice.
A regular highlight since 2015, ZONE1 exclusively presents the works of talented artists under 40, who either live, work, or have received their education in Austria. Appreciated by institutions, art experts, and visitors alike, ZONE1 provides a unique space for these artists to make their mark on the international art scene and has established itself as a stepping stone to accelerate young artist’s careers.
Bruno Mokross, curator of ZONE1, says:
Vienna is an attractive bedrock for a diverse cast of aspiring professionals. International artists who are setting up base in the Austrian capital are citing an improbable constellation of affordable rents, government support, harmonious ecosystems, stable economy, and high living standards in a peaceful, democratic nation—oh, and the water quality!—as motivation. How might the aspirations of those who came to stay contrast with those who ultimately left? What are the driving desires of a scene shunning the prevalent hustlepreneurship of most art metropolises? Or, in broader terms: how do the conditions under which art is created contribute to shaping it—and how do artists shape those conditions?
viennacontemporary 2024, 12th–15th September, Messe Wien Halle D, viennacontemporary.at
About
Austria’s leading fair for contemporary art, viennacontemporary, gathers established galleries and exciting newcomers to present artworks alongside curated special exhibitions. viennacontemporary is renowned for its unique focus on the emerging scenes of Central and Eastern Europe and a dense supporting program of performances, guided tours, and high-profile VIP events. Taking place in the spacious Halle D of Messe Wien, the event will host thousands of professionals, artists, collectors, visionaries, and communities, inviting them to experience international encounters and the rich diversity of contemporary art, for the tenth year in a row.
Artistic Director Francesca Gavin has 20 years of experience in contemporary art and culture as a curator and writer. She is Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of EPOCH Review, a contributing editor at Twin and Beauty Papers and has regularly contributed to Financial Times HTSI, Frieze, Cura, Blau, Artnet among numerous other publications. Gavin has written ten books on contemporary art including Watch This Space, 100 New Artists and Hell Bound: New Gothic Art. She co-curated the Manifesta11 biennial in Zurich and has curated exhibitions internationally at institutions including Fundação de Serralves, Somerset House, Palais de Tokyo, Site Sheffield and Mu, Eindhoven. Her monthly radio show Rough Version on NTS Radio (www.nts.live) has been running for over 8 years, looking at the relationship between contemporary art and music.
