Vision and Resistance

The road to the opening of today’s MuseumsQuartier Wien was a long and turbulent one. What is now regarded as one of Europe’s largest arts and culture complexes emerged from decades of discussions, political shifts, architectural visions and media debates that went far beyond questions of design.

The exhibition ‘Vision and Resistance’ at MQ Freiraum explores this eventful history. It tells the story of bold designs, public controversies and a project that was renegotiated on several occasions and repeatedly teetered on the brink of failure. The planned reading tower, in particular, became a symbol in the 1990s of the conflict between contemporary architecture, heritage conservation and the urban public sphere.

Using sketches, original architectural models, plans, historical documents, photographs and newspaper headlines, the exhibition illustrates how the former royal stables complex – later the Messepalast – gradually evolved into an open cultural district. In doing so, it demonstrates that the MQ was never intended to be a finished project, but rather a place that is constantly evolving – in terms of its content, architecture and social context.

Curated by Andreas Nierhaus.

Among the many objects and archival materials on display are historical architectural models of the MuseumsQuartier, as well as photographs and films by Werner Boote, Julius Deutschbauer, Thomas Edlinger, Aldo Giannotti, Thomas Grusch, Hausrucker & Co., Margeritha Spiluttini, Ingeborg Strobl, Thomas Trenkler, and Gerald Zugmann.