quartier21 is becoming increasingly international

quartier21 at the Vienna MuseumsQuartier (MQ) offers temporary exhibition space for small cultural initiatives. The new ‘freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL’ programme of events focuses on international projects from the fields of digital art, fashion and design.

Six exhibitions per year are planned for ‘freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL’ according to MQ director Wolfgang Waldner. The ambitious international concept is realised in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs (BMeiA). ‘quartier21 has always had a strong international orientation, especially because of its Artists in Residence programme that has already brought 200 young artists from all over the world to MuseumsQuartier,’ explains Waldner who intends to further build on this concept with the new programme. Originally produced for the 2008 Saint Étienne Design Biennale, Real World Laboratory kicks off the new series of international exhibitions and projects.

‘Bring in some closeness’

Real World Laboratory presents designer objects from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. Curator Magda Kochanowska from Poland is happy to see the show return to where it all began, namely to Vienna: ‘About two years ago we were looking for partners to take part in our project at the Vienna Design Week.’ And she and her colleague Czeslawa Frejlich were successful in their search. Ambassador Emil Brix, the head of the cultural policy department in the BMeiA, welcomes the ‘Central European start’ of the new programme: ‘The exhibition offers opportunities to make comparisons between neighbouring countries and further helps to overcome the borders between East and West that still exist in some people’s minds. It enables us to bring in some closeness.’

From Austrian furniture to Polish lamps

The exhibition consists of two parts: experimental design and industrial design. Every country has something special to present and shows its two faces: the experimental and the industrial one. Items on show include: furniture from Austria by ‘Neigungsgruppe Design’, the initiators of the Vienna Design Week; vehicles from Slovakia; glass and porcelain from the Czech Republic; shoes from Slovenia; building material from Hungary; and lamps from Poland. ‘We did not go for competition – every country is on the same level,’ says curator Magda Kochanowska. The aim was to present a new, fresh face of Central European design together. According to the curator the participating countries from the former Eastern Bloc are still often regarded as lesser developed. ‘We want to change this way of thinking by proving the opposite,’ explains Kochanowska. Wig-shaped bar stools, inflatable PVC lamps and translucent concrete are just a few examples of what the cross-country design exhibition holds in store for visitors.

Artists visiting Vienna

The opening of Real World Laboratory was combined with the presentation of AiR 200, a new publication that provides an overview of the 100 artists in residence who have stayed at MuseumsQuartier since the publication of AiR 100 in 2006. Six artist studios at quartier21 have been available since 2003 for international artists not domiciled in Austria. The Artists in Residence programme is designed to promote international cultural exchange.

The exhibition of innovative design from Austria and abroad will run until 20 November. Planned projects include a show on Italian fashion design and a Swiss contribution on ‘Artistic views on digital culture from Lucerne’.