Art in Public Spaces

Art in Public Spaces

As an art, living, and creativity space that is open to the public, the MuseumsQuartier Wien is an ideal place where art can not only be shown in the various cultural institutions and exhibition spaces, but also in the large outdoor areas within the complex. Throughout the year, an extensive program of cultural activities and events takes place in the courtyards, ranging from readings to film festivals, dance performances, and exhibition and sculpture projects.

The complex is accessed by passageways on all sides. Elongated, barrel-vaulted structures dating back to the Baroque era connect the individual courtyards with each other. On the initiative of quartier21, several of these heavily frequented passageways were transformed from simple means of entrance and exit to innovative art spaces. The passages are public exhibition spaces dedicated to individual art genres (comics, sound art, street art, and typography). So far, four theme passages give visitors direct and free access to contemporary art.

TONSPUR_passage
TONSPUR_passage, located between the MQ entrance near Volkstheater and the Main Courtyard, was created in May 2006 as Vienna's first permanent venue for sound art. Internationally unique in this form, a changing lineup of artists develops and realizes several different sound art pieces each year. Multichannel compositions transcend the common concept of stereo sound and create fascinating sound architectures and walk-in sound spaces. The visual design was contributed by Esther Stocker. Georg Weckwerth is the curatorial manager of the TONSPUR series, while Peter Szely is responsible for sound production.

KABINETT comic passage
KABINETT comic passage is located between Mariahilfer Strasse and Fürstenhof and was opened in September 2007. Heinz Wolf and Nicolas Mahler present changing exhibitions featuring international comic artists who work with various combinations of words and images. A publication for each exhibition can be purchased from a vending machine on site. The ceiling fresco in the passageway was designed by Stéphane Blanquet, Atelier UrbanWagner was in charge of implementation.

STREET ART PASSAGE VIENNA
STREET ART PASSAGE VIENNA was opened in September 2008 and is curated by 401RUSH aka Nicholas Platzer. Accessible from Breite Gasse, it is the bridge from Spittelberg, a center of Vienna's street art scene, to the MQ cultural complex. This public space thrives on its program of changing exhibitions introducing international and local street artists and an accompanying series of publications. The street art magazine "betonblumen" is designed by the current exhibiting artists, published by Schebrügge Editor, and sold on location in a vending machine. A permanent installation titled "Invaded Bridge" was conceived by street artist Invader while another part of the passage was designed by BUSK.

Typopassage Wien
Opened in November 2009 as the fourth theme passage in the MQ, Typopassage Wien is dedicated to one of the most important and at once smallest cultural mediums: typography. This micromuseum for typographical design presents changing exhibitions of contemporary typographical art. The communication design agency bauer - konzept & gestaltung curates and oversees the series, selecting works that communicate the process of typographical design from the first idea to the final actual typesetting. An artist catalogue is also available. The design of the vaulted ceiling was contributed by Alex Trochut, whose work ranges between typography and illustration.