More than 1,000 artists open their doors in Lower Austria

More than 1,000 artists are giving visitors a glimpse of their work during Lower Austria’s Open Studio Days, with more than 650 studios, workshops and galleries open this weekend, ORF reports. The event runs until Sunday evening.

Among them is Brigitte Tschabuschnig, who discovered pottery only a few years ago. At her workshop in Maria Enzersdorf, in Mödling district, visitors can watch her shape and glaze clay. She said she was working to improve at the potter’s wheel and described the craft as her passion.

The event aims to make art accessible where it is created, whether as a hobby or a profession. Oliver Feistmantl, who has worked as an artist for more than 30 years, is showing comic and pop art in a group exhibition in Wiener Neustadt. The exhibition spans 5,000 square metres and includes works by about 300 artists, with more than 2,300 pieces on display, from paintings to sculptures made of glass, wood and fabric.

Feistmantl said he wanted his pictures to be fun, bring joy and draw viewers in. Visitors also spoke of finding inspiration in the exhibition. One father said his son hopes to become an artist, while another visitor was looking for a painting to buy for her bedroom.

In St. Pölten, florist Daniela Filzwieser works with flowers, grasses and other natural materials gathered within five kilometres of her workshop. Visitors said seeing her arrangements had given them ideas for things they might make themselves, though they also enjoyed the chance to buy work from someone with the skill to create it.

Across the open studios and exhibitions, visitors can meet artists and explore a wide range of creative work, from pottery and painting to floristry.