Vienna's Annual September Gallery Festival Featuring International Curators 2024
Welcome to "Curated by Vienna," an annual gallery festival that transforms Austria's capital into a pulsating hub of contemporary art.
During the festival, Vienna is bustling with artistic events, including the Parallel Vienna and the Vienna Contemporary Art Fair, both of which take place during the same opening week.
This isn't just another art festival; it's a month-long celebration that brings together the crème de la crème of international curators, cutting-edge galleries, and visionary artists.
A Festival Unlike Any Other
What sets Curated by Vienna apart in the crowded landscape of art events?
It's not just about hanging paintings on walls or placing sculptures on pedestals.
This festival is a carefully orchestrated symphony of artistic expression, curatorial vision, and cultural exchange.
The Curator's Touch - Important Cornerstone
Each year, the festival invites renowned international curators to bring their unique perspectives to Vienna's galleries.
These curators aren't just organizers; they're storytellers, weaving narratives through their selection and arrangement of artworks.
Dominique Catherina Foertig
New NEWS: Vienna Contemporary 2024 - ZONE1 - Bruno Mokross
It's like having a personal guide through the labyrinth of contemporary art, helping you uncover hidden meanings and make unexpected connections.
A Month-Long Artistic Immersion
Unlike many art fairs that come and go in a whirlwind weekend, Curated by Vienna takes its time. Running for about a month each fall, the festival allows visitors to truly immerse themselves in the art world.
Galleries in Vienna during the 2023 Curated by gallery festival: (left) "May You Live In Interesting Times" by Ad Minolti, curated by Ralph Rugoff, Installation View 58th International Venice Art Biennale, May 11–November 24, 2019 | Photographer: Andrea Rossetti | Curated by Giovanna Manzotti, featuring works by Daniel Boccato.
No need to rush from booth to booth or gallery to gallery. Here, you have the luxury of time – to ponder, to revisit, to let the art sink in and perhaps even change your perspective.
More Than Just Exhibitions
While the gallery shows are the stars of the festival, Curated by Vienna offers a rich tapestry of artistic experiences. Talks and panel discussions provide insights into the curatorial process and the themes explored in the exhibitions.
Workshops offer hands-on experiences for those who want to delve deeper. And let's not forget the networking opportunities – in the convivial atmosphere of Vienna, connections are made, ideas are exchanged, and the art world grows a little closer.
A Journey Through Time and Theme
Each year, Curated by Vienna reinvents itself with a new overarching theme. These themes aren't just catchy titles; they're invitations to explore contemporary issues through the lens of art.
From "Untold Narratives" 2024 delving into storytelling and archives, to past themes exploring technology, identity, or global challenges, the festival consistently pushes boundaries and sparks conversations.
Highlights from Past Editions:An overview about the latest Curated by Vienna Highlights:
While each Curated by Vienna is unique, certain elements have become beloved traditions:
Curated by is the annual gallery festival with international curators in Vienna. The archive contains all entries, from the very first festival in 2009 up to today, including information on all curators, galleries and artists involved
2023: Festival Theme "the neutral" with a essay by Maximilian Geymüller
Maximilian Geymüller's festival essay "The Neutral" explores the complex concept of neutrality in a geopolitical and cultural context, especially post-Ukraine war. This theme questions whether neutrality can be a guiding principle for political action or if it is inherently a weak stance.
Geymüller references Roland Barthes' view of neutrality as an active and subversive force rather than passive indecision. Barthes' notion of the neutral challenges binary oppositions and promotes a "third way" that is vibrant and dynamic, standing for action, resistance, and the potential for transformation.
Dominique Catherina Foertig
Curatd by Vienna 2023 - Munchies Art Club Magazine Review
The 2023 Curated by festival, inspired by this theme, aims to embody Barthes' vision of the neutral, celebrating nuance and provisionality rather than rigid definitions. It encourages curatorial projects and artistic works that explore transitions, deviations, and undifferentiation.
The festival seeks to move beyond traditional binary contexts, embracing the edges and margins of meaning, color, and language.
This approach offers a space for a rich, diverse array of expressions that resist simple classification, aligning with Barthes' idea of neutrality as a vibrant and vital force.
2022: KELET with an Essay by Dieter Roelstraete
In the early 20th century, Hungarian artists and intellectuals founded the avant-garde journal Nyugat in Budapest, symbolizing a westward gaze for artistic and cultural progress.
This western focus, epitomized by Mihaly Biro's iconic 1911 cover design, represented freedom, opportunity, and progress.
However, the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has reignited the age-old east-west divide, highlighting the west as a haven for millions fleeing the conflict. The west is seen as a bastion of reason and safety, contrasting sharply with the eastern image of backwardness and despotism embodied by Putin's regime.
This geopolitical crisis underscores the urgency of reevaluating these entrenched perceptions, particularly in a place like Vienna during such turbulent times.
The 2022 Curated by festival, titled "Kelet" (East), invites curators and galleries to turn their focus eastward. This theme challenges the west's traditional "orientalism" and aims to provide a more nuanced and hopeful view of the east.
Curated by
By highlighting artists from Eastern Europe and beyond, the festival seeks to present the east not just as a source of conflict and backwardness but as a land of artistic richness and renewal. "Kelet" aspires to create a panoramic and imaginative depiction of the east, from Bratislava to Khabarovsk, emphasizing its potential and vibrancy.
2021 Comedy
Elayne Boosler's quote on gendered stress responses introduces an exploration of carnival comedy's link to tragedy. Michael Jackson's 2002 balcony incident exemplifies carnival comedy’s ability to mix humor and menace, creating humor that both avoids and causes consequences.
Dominique Catherina Foertig
Curatd by Vienna 2021 Comedy - Munchies Art Club Magazine Review
Carnival traditions like masks and inversion blur the lines between tragedy and comedy, with theorists highlighting its power to disrupt social norms and empower marginalized voices through laughter. Modern events continue this spirit, transforming shock into humor.
Contemporary performances and political mishaps illustrate carnival comedy's evolving nature, emphasizing its role in critiquing societal norms and providing an escape from reality. The journey of carnival comedy remains uncertain, embodying the perpetual dance between comedy and tragedy.
2020: Hybridity: An Amateur History and the Possibility of Freedom with a Essay by Orit Gat
Orit Gat explores the concept of hybridity through mythological hybrids, highlighting their significance in reflecting human exceptionalism, control, and desire. Male hybrids can shapeshift, while female hybrids are often fixed, symbolizing either escape or control.
Galleries in Vienna: Gallery Kargl fine arts with a group show during curated by Vienna 2022: Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon: Snap shot graphite, ink, watercolor, acrylic, and collage on paper © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon | Courtesy the artists and David Zwirner and right -> Leyla Gediz, Paula Rego: Hybridish, curated by Alistair Hicks, exhibition view, 2020 Leylâ Gediz, The Crab Trainer, 2020, courtesy of the artist and The Pill, © Georg Kargl Fine Arts, photo kunst-dokumentation.com ||| Paula Rego, Ecstacy, 1996-98, courtesy of the artist and Ostrich Arts Limited ||| Paula Rego, Execution, 1996-98, courtesy of the artist and Ostrich Arts Limited ||| Paula Rego, Messenger, 1996-98, courtesy of the artist and Ostrich Arts Limited ||| Paula Rego, On the Hill, 1996-98, courtesy of the artist and Ostrich Arts Limited ||| Paula Rego, The Voices II, 1996-98, courtesy of the artist and Ostrich Arts Limited ||| Paula Rego, The Voices III, 1996-98. courtesy of the artist and Ostrich Arts Limited courtesy Georg Kargl Fine Arts, © Georg Kargl Fine Arts, photo kunst-dokumentation.com
Mules represent the oldest hybrids, embodying the idea of repeated creation due to their sterility. Gat discusses how myths manage fears by offering control narratives over nature and reproduction, especially relevant during crises like COVID-19.
Dominique Catherina Foertig
Curatd by Vienna 2020 - Munchies Art Club Magazine Review
Hybrid forms in pop culture, such as vampires and zombies, explore fear and desire in safe spaces outside traditional norms. Hybridity allows for breaking binary structures, fostering new forms of expression and identity, exemplified by evolving gender discourses.
Curated by Vienna 2022 at Gallery Kargl fine arts -> Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon, Hale Tenger: Hybridish, curated by Alistair Hicks, exhibition view, 2020 Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon - Mother of God, it‘s a girl, 2016, © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, courtesy the artists and David Zwirner ||| Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon, Try it, you‘ll like it, 2015, © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, courtesy the artists and David Zwirner ||| Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon, We will ride into the sunset, 2015, © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, courtesy the artists and David Zwirner ||| Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon, The ball player, 2016, © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, courtesy the artists and David Zwirner ||| Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, Snap shot, 2016, © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon, courtesy the artists and David Zwirner ||| Hale Tenger, Give Me Back My Innocence, 2005-2012, courtesy the artist and Georg Kargl Fine Arts ||| Hale Tenger, Turkish delight, 2003, courtesy the artist and Georg Kargl Fine Arts courtesy Georg Kargl Fine Arts, © Georg Kargl Fine Arts, photo kunst-dokumentation.com and right: Marcel Dzama & Raymond Pettibon: We will ride into the sunset -- © Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon | Courtesy the artists and David Zwirner
Artists historically utilize hybridity to dissolve boundaries, creating freedom through reassessment and innovation. Gat concludes that hybridity is a powerful tool for liberation and creativity.
Why Vienna?
It's no accident that this festival takes place in Vienna. The city has long been a crucible of creativity, from the classical music of Mozart and Beethoven to the rebellious art of the Secession movement.
Curated by Vienna taps into this rich cultural heritage while firmly planting itself in the contemporary moment.
The city itself becomes part of the exhibition. Baroque palaces house cutting-edge installations.
Modern galleries nestle in historic neighborhoods. It's a juxtaposition that creates a unique energy, a dialogue between past and present that infuses every aspect of the festival.
More Than Just a Festival with Contemporary Art
Curated by Vienna is more than just an annual event; it's a statement about the role of art in society.
By bringing together diverse voices, challenging perspectives, and fostering dialogue, the festival demonstrates the power of art to inspire, provoke, and unite.
For gallerists, it's an opportunity to push boundaries and experiment with new curatorial approaches. For artists, it's a platform to reach new audiences and engage with global art trends. And for visitors, it's a chance to see the world through new eyes, to challenge preconceptions, and perhaps to fall in love with art all over again.
Your Invitation to the Art World
Whether you're a seasoned collector, an aspiring artist, or simply someone who enjoys beautiful and thought-provoking experiences, Curated by Vienna has something for you.
It's an opportunity to engage with art on a deeper level, to be part of a global conversation, and to experience the magic that happens when creative minds come together.
So mark your calendars for next fall. As the leaves begin to turn and a crisp autumn breeze sweeps through Vienna's streets, the city will once again transform into a canvas for the world's most exciting contemporary art.
Curated by Vienna awaits – are you ready to be inspired?
Curated by Vienna - official Website with additional Info
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