September 22, 2017

What not to miss at Vienna Contemporary art fair this weekend: our top 5 recommendations

The upcoming days are supposed to be grey and chilly – but no need to cultivate a Wiener Grant (grumpiness) as there are lovely possibilities awaiting you indoors. Vienna Contemporary, the city’s annual art fair is happening at the cattle shed turned event venue, Marx Halle.

Info

For further information on the roughly 110 galleries exhibiting, and a detailed schedule of all the panel talks, video showings and other events, visit Vienna Contemporary’s website.

Also good to know… if you plan on spending the whole day you can still leave your lunch bag at home as there are three marvellous pop-up restaurants at the fair: Iki (part of the infamous Mochi group), Motto, or if you long for a classical Viennese institution, Zum Schwarzen Kameel.

Header photo via viennacontemporary/ Flickr

As the sheer flood of galleries, represented artists and shown pieces can be overwhelming, we went without sleep for the past nights to work through the whole catalogue to present you our top 5 recommendations of the gallery stands worth checking out:

1. Galerie Clemens Gunzer

Focusing on only the one artist is Galerie Clemens Gunzer (Zürich-Kitzbühel) and we do believe that Peter Jellitsch’s work is worth a visit.
Where: Stand G27

Photo via flickr.com/photos/viennacontemporary/33994287514

2. Galerie Krinzinger

If you’re in it for the big names, you should visit Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna) who will be showcasing artists Marina Abramovic, Martha Jungwirth, Brigitte Kowanz, Jonathan Meese and Daniel Spoerri, among others. Big names need a lot of space, which is why the gallery spreads over three booths – go big, or go home…
Where: Stand B35, C20, D19

Photo via www.galerie-krinzinger.at/fairs/vienna_contemporary_2015_booth_b_16__c_15

3. Konzett Gallery

Other well-established Austrian artists can be found at Konzett gallery (Vienna) – Günther Brus, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch, Maria Lassnig – along with many more talents from the past.
Where: Stand G14

4. Galerie Nathalie Halgand

Galerie Nathalie Halgand (Vienna) proves how different Austrian curating. They will be celebrating their second appearance at VC this year. We’re especially looking forward to Greek-born, and now Berlin-based, Yorgos Stamkopoulos’ abstract paintings. Nathalie used to be head of Vienna’s Inoperable Gallery before opening her own space for various media art in early 2016.
Where: Stand E22

Work by Yorgos Stamkopoulos

5. Flatland Gallery

Finally, after all those impressions and somehow dizzy days (mostly from the champagne involved), we arrive in front of Guy Yanai’s colourful drawings and daydream of sailboats in front of Frishman Beach in Tel Aviv, the artist’s current hometown. His, and other captivating pieces, (Stelios Karamanolis!) can be found at the stand from Flatland Gallery (Amsterdam).
Where: Stand A29

Art by Guy Yanai, photo via www.coolhunting.com/culture/artist-guy-yanai

Info

For further information on the roughly 110 galleries exhibiting, and a detailed schedule of all the panel talks, video showings and other events, visit Vienna Contemporary’s website.

Header photo via viennacontemporary/ Flickr

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