Three Vienna art fairs bring classics and new work

Three art fairs open in Vienna over the next few days, ORF reports. Parallel Vienna begins today at the Otto Wagner grounds, followed on Thursday by the new Astoria Artshow in a garage in Josefstadt. The galleries festival curated by opens on Friday.

Parallel Vienna returns

Parallel Vienna is taking place at the Otto Wagner grounds for the fourth time from September 9 to 13. A total of 130 exhibitors will present exhibitions from eight countries, projects by independent artists and institutions, and the Artist Statements format, which gives 30 selected young artists the opportunity to show their work in individual presentations.

Performances will take place inside the buildings and outdoors. On the opening day, artist Jonas Höschl will present Police Horses for Austria, referring to an unrealised plan by Austrian politicians to acquire police horses. Two artists in police uniforms on horseback will explore the gap between political symbolism and reality.

Parallel Editions, previously an independent format, will also be part of this year’s fair. The kitchen building will host Parallel Kitchen, an exhibition devoted to Eat Art, a term coined by Daniel Spoerri for art involving food and everyday processes. The group exhibition will also function as a working kitchen and social meeting place.

Astoria Artshow opens in a garage

The Astoria Artshow will take place for the first time from September 10 to 13. Across four floors and more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space, 70 Austrian and international galleries will present works throughout the building.

Curated by focuses on love

The galleries festival curated by will focus on love this year. The 17th edition runs across Vienna from September 11 to October 17, with the mumok, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, serving as its central venue. Founded in 2009, the festival is intended as a platform for artistic exchange. It is supported by the City of Vienna and funded by the participating galleries.

Beatrice Steimer and Nik Geene will open the festival’s programme of participatory performances with Cafe Love – Call Me at Café Korb. Old telephones placed on the café tables will allow visitors to call a number and speak with someone who answers at another table. Neither person will know whom they are speaking to. The artists aim to show what it is like to talk to someone without a profile photo or algorithm.