8 of Vienna’s small independent contemporary art galleries worth checking out

Nestled in Vienna’s 15th district is one of the city’s leading indie art galleries, Improper Walls. Its walls showcase artists, with a focus on urban and contemporary art, illustration and multimedia. This gallery practices diversity in its range, with a dedication to showcasing local and international artists that don’t fit in your typical art gallery. With their vibrant, welcoming and young atmosphere, and a lovely team behind it, they attract a good crowd which is made up of people familiar with the art scene, and those who rarely step into a gallery of any kind.

Good to know: Improper Walls organise exhibitions on a non-profit basis, but also host live music, performances, and other cultural events and workshops.

The Urban Space Gallery was opened with the mission a bridge between established galleries and the art’s subculture. The mission of the gallery is to give young artists the opportunity the chance to exhibit their work and ideas and there’s a nice relationship happening between contemporary and urban art, here.

Good to know… you can also buy high-quality art supplies at the shop in the gallery while enjoying a cup of fair trade coffee.

Formerly known as ARCC.art, Galerie Rudolf Leeb is an owner-managed gallery where notable local and international artists can be found exhibiting. Young aspiring artists from Vienna and all around the globe are invited to present their work at the space. The focus of the artists is on ‘study – live – work – Vienna. Unlike your typical art gallery, this place is far from pretentious. Also, in a recent cooperation with the augemented reality art app, Artivive, the gallery is offering a pioneering new thing where you can get augmented reality art experience in your own living room. Check out their website for more info.

Good to know: At Galerie Rudolf Leeb, you’ll also get to chance to buy art pieces at a fair price and they will provide you with all the necessary information if you want to invest in art.

The Bäckerstrasse4 is where some of this city’s most promising up and coming artists have first been spotted. The whole reason for its existence is to showcase young talents, in the variety of art forms that are explored today. Those who are currently studying, or have recently graduated are given given priority here. Four times a year, art from Austria and international art schools are selected by a professional jury to be exhibited in the handsome space of Bäckerstrasse4.

Good to know… there is no limit to the type of art exhibited here, meaning you’ll see all kinds of creative works on display, from sculpture to photography and other art installations.

The Gerald Hartinger Fine Arts Gallery is located in the first district of Vienna and is a space that puts the American pop art movement on the walls in Vienna. An exciting assortment of art pieces can be spotted there, including many of the most iconic artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.

Good to know: you’ll also find art from the former Beatle Ringo Starr on the walls of this gallery

The Rabbit Eye Movement (REM) Art Space on Gumpendorferstraße is a place for urban art lovers. The space is dedicated to different urban art, from street art, urban illustration, street art, lowbrow and pop culture imagery made by national and international artists. Individual and collective creativity is facilitated and the space acts as a meeting point for those who want to connect to Vienna’s Urban art scene. It’s also homebase for one of Vienna’s street art crew, REM, which is headed up by the city’s most famous street artist, Nychos.

While most don’t typically think art when thinking of the 10th district there is one of the city’s best art and social spaces out there, the brotfabrik. And, hidden away in the brotfabrik is a brilliant contemporary art space – The OstLicht Gallery. This gallery is all about contemporary photography artwork. The exhibition space of the gallery hosts a room for solo and group exhibitions of both national and international artists, while it is also home to a vast book collection about the art and craft of photography.

Good to know… not only will you find art-related things there, but the OstLicht also functions as a meeting place for the creative types thanks to its adjoining bookshop and bar.

The Christine König Galerie in Vienna’s 4th district showcases a variety of internationally recognized artists and at the same time works with the younger generation to get upcoming artists of its walls. The gallery’s program and its selection of the artists always reflect the central concerns of Christine König: Politics and activism, feminism, literature, as well as post-conceptual approaches. It’s also a place that likes to inspire people to get talking about art, with regular events that see art lovers (and even people beyond your typical exhibition visitor) talking about art and engaging in art discourse.