While changing exhibitions and artistic works can be discovered in the showrooms and display cases on the ground floor, the first floor provides space for cultural offices.
With their diverse themes and forms of production, the Q21 showrooms and offices complement the offerings of the traditional museums at MQ and provide a diverse range of art in public space.

Interview with Djeiran Malek-Hofmann, Director of Q21

What’s the special thing about the Q21 showrooms and offices?

The Q21 showrooms and offices are located at MuseumsQuartier Wien, one of the largest cultural complexes in the world, which makes them very special for the people using them. Visitors get direct insight into creative processes, especially in the showrooms.

Why do we need art in public spaces?

Art in public spaces must be able to present itself to all kinds of people. It should offer easy access, let people experience art directly in everyday life and arouse their interest.

What can art in public spaces achieve, as opposed to art in museums?

Art in public spaces offers low-threshold access. You don’t have to actively go to a museum, so there are no inhibitions, but there still is a transfer effect.

What’s behind the transformation of ‘Electric Avenue‘ to ’Q21 Showrooms and Offices‘?

The name ‘Q21 Showrooms and Offices‘ clarifies what this space is designed for. The term ‘Electric Avenue‘ requires a lot of communication. But the ‘showrooms‘ tell visitors directly: ‘Here, art is produced. There are many things for you to explore.”

What can visitors expect when they come to the Q21 Showrooms?

A wide range of creative activities and interdisciplinarity – from digital art to the eSeL REZEPTION, which acts as a multiplier of contents. It’s a diverse potpourri from which people can draw new impulses and inspiration.

How important is art in public space at MuseumsQuartier Wien?

Zunehmend ein höherer Stellenwert. Wir haben gerade in diesem Jahr mit der Netzinstallation von Janet Echelmann und mit “Echoes – a voice from uncharted waters“ von Mathias Gmachl starke Impulse gesetzt, auf die wir in den nächsten Jahren aufbauen möchten.