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22/4/2008

Viennafair 2008

Messe Wien, Wien

2008 will witness what is already the 4th edition of the VIENNAFAIR, THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR FOCUSED ON CEE /SEE, to be staged in Vienna.

This focus reflects Vienna’s European bridging function and is also given due recognition by art enthusiasts. By focussing on modern art in the CEE/SEE regions the VIENNAFAIR serves as a commercial hub between west and east, and has established its own identity amongst the various international art shows.

The great expectations placed in the VIENNAFAIR were also fulfilled. 107 galleries from 22 countries took part in the VIENNAFAIR 2007. A total of 14,700 visitors were registered as having attended the event during the show; up 18% on the previous year.

As well as the presence of well-established Austrian and international galleries, responsible for making up the central pillars of the VIENNAFAIR, galleries in particular from the CEE countries were a special highlight for international collectors, art connoisseurs and press and media representatives from all over the world.

“The current development of the international fair world shows that the >VIENNAFAIR< has taken the right path from its very first issue. The thematic focus on galleries from the Eastern European and the South-Eastern European region, in combination with interesting presentations by galleries from Western Europe, overseas and naturally also by the booming galleries of Vienna has proven to be truly a concept for success”, Matthias Limbeck, manager in charge of new business, marketing and CEE at Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien, is pleased to state. Mr. Limbeck refers here to the great interest in and the already fixed applications to the fourth issue of the >VIENNAFAIR< which will take place from April 24 to 27, 2008, in Hall A of Vienna’s trade fair centre Messe Wien. “The new international advisory committee has done a marvellous job, and with 124 participating galleries this year’s >VIENNAFAIR< is fully booked. We have expanded the exhibition space and still have galleries on our waiting list”, Limbeck also appreciates the work of the committee that is formed this year by Guido W. Baudach – gallery Guido W. Baudach/Berlin, Anne Blümel – gallery Lelong/Zürich/New York/Paris, Kerstin Engholm – Engholm Engelhorn gallery/Vienna, Dr. Ursula Krinzinger – gallery Krinzinger/Vienna, Simon Rees – Contemporary Art Centre of Vilnius/Lithuania, Michel Rein – gallery Michel Rein/Paris, Anthony Wilkinson – Wilkinson Art Gallery/London und Thomas Wüstenhagen – layr:wuestenhagen contemporary/Vienna.

Extending internalisation, strengthening the location
Edek Bartz, exhibition director of the >VIENNAFAIR<, summarises the intense preparations leading to an exciting selection of galleries and a top-flight side programme: “I am very pleased that we will succeed in making the fourth issue of the fair even more international and at the same time manage to again integrate nearly the entire Austrian gallery world. 124 galleries, 46 of which are from Austria, and 55 from Western Europe, with 31 from Germany, and 2 each from Israel and the United States as well as 19 galleries from the focus countries in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, will be presenting again their selection of contemporary art productions in Vienna’s trade fair centre Messe Wien from 24 to 27 April, 2008. With its concept of increasing internationalisation the >VIENNAFAIR< creates the pre-condition for the further development of the art location of Vienna.

Next to the traditionally strong participation of Berlin galleries like Baudach, DNA, Kunstagenten, Jette Rudolph and Antje Wachs, which are supported by the participation of carlier | gebauer, Feinkost, Open, Gillian Morris and ZAK, in 2008 two galleries from Israel (Dvir Gallery und Sommer Contemporary Art, both from Tel Aviv) will be presenting at the >VIENNAFAIR< for the first time. The Athens galleries gazonrouge, Kalfayan and The Breeder will again be participating, and so will Lelong from Zurich, Baukunst from Cologne, Benden & Klimcak, Viersen, Distrito Cu4tro from Madrid and Six Friedrich Lisa Ungar from Munich. From France, six galleries have registered for participation at the >VIENNAFAIR< (La Blanchisserie, ColletPark, Eric Dupont, the galerie de multiples, Michel Rein and Suzanne Tarasiève) and five exhibitors are from Great Britain (HF Contemporary Art, MOTInternational, Hidde van Seggelen, Max Wigram and Wilkinson). Italy is represented with six galleries (Ala, Ca´di Fra´, goethe 2, Studio Legale, Davide di Maggio und Traghetto) and from the USA, with I-20 and Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert two galleries will present their selection at the >VIENNAFAIR<.

From Austria, 46 galleries were accepted for participation in the >VIENNAFAIR<. Internationally renowned Austrian galleries, like gallery Heike Curtze, Engholm Engelhorn, next St. Stephan, Krinzinger, König, Senn, Hilger, Insam, Janda, Meyer Kainer and Krobath Wimmer, all from Vienna as well as galleries from different Austrian provinces, like Ropac, Thoman and Welz and the young galleries Viktor Bucher, layr:wuestenhagen contemporary, Andreas Huber, Dana Charkasi and Patrick Ebensperger – these will contribute to a convincing presentation of the Austrian gallery world at the >VIENNAFAIR 2008<.

Great platform for galleries from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
From its very start the presentation of the thematic focus of galleries from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe has been a decisive factor for the great interest of international art collectors in the >VIENNAFAIR<. 19 galleries will present the works of their artists in 2008 at the art fair in Vienna. These include galleries familiar to the fair visitors from the previous years, like Raster, lokal_30 and the Program Art Gallery from Warsaw, 2Meta from Bucharest, Photon and Skuc from Ljubljana, New Moment Ideas Gallery and Remont, both from Beograd, hunt kastner artworks from Prague, the ACB Gallery from Budapest, Vartai from Vilnius and the Space Gallery and Bast´ Art from Bratislava; also from Bratislava are two first starters at the >VIENNAFAIR<, the Kressling Gallery and Photoport. Further new participants are the gallery Czarna Galeria from Warsaw, Kisterem from Budapest and ARC Projects from Sofia.

Sponsors make the participation in the fair possible
As in previous years, the Austrian bank ERSTE BANK, as the main sponsor and supporter, contributes greatly to the participation of these galleries and the successful realisation of the focus presentation.

ZONE1: The special presentation at the >VIENNAFAIR<
ZONE1, introduced at last year’s issue of the >VIENNAFAIR<, will also undergo enhancement for 2008. Galleries will be able to exhibit individual presentations of young artists on 20 square metres each on a specifically designed area in the very centre of the fair, at special conditions. 19 presentations were selected by the fair’s advisory committee for ZONE1. New in ZONE1 are the gallery Hubert Winter with the installation “Panhard Special – The Velocity of Thought“ by Paul Etienne Lincoln, the gallery Eric Dupont, Paris, with works by Regina Virserius, the gallery Open, Berlin, with photography by Katherine Newbegin and Marc Berville MB Prospects, Berlin, with drawings by Marko Velk. Nicola von Senger from Zurich will present Arcangelo Sassolino and Hamish Morrison brings works from Wolfgang Flad from Berlin to Vienna. From Bregenz, Austria, the gallery Lisi Hämmerle will show an installation by the two artists Alexandra Berlinger / Wolfgang Fiel, habres+partner, Vienna, will show Magda Tóthová and Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art Vienna presents the sculpture „Dorothy“ from Joana Vasconcelos. The gallery Mezzanin offers a project by Manuel Gorkiewicz in the ZONE1. Further first participants are the Studio Legale, Rome with Alika Cooper, the gallery traversée, Munich, presenting Chow Chun Fai and La Blanchisserie, Boulogne presenting Arnaud Maguet. The galleries Grita Insam, Vienna, with Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art, Lisboa (artists: José Loureiro) and the gallery Krinzinger Vienna, with the gallery Antje Wachs from Berlin (artist: Clarina Bezzola) present common projects. The galleries Hohenlohe, Vienna (Cornelia Schmidt-Bleek), Hidde van Seggelen, London (Natasha Rosling), I-20 (Karen Heagle), New York, and Steinle Contemporary from Munich (Krüger/Pardeller) present their exhibitions for the second time in ZONE1.

The presentation of last year’s ZONE1 winner, Kamen Stoyanov, will be on display in a special exhibition in Vienna’s museum of modern art, MUMOK, from April 18 to May 18, 2008. Daniela Hinterhölzl, exhibition manager of the >VIENNAFAIR< explains the motifs for this initiative: “It is very important to us to not only offer the private collectors a forum at the >VIENNAFAIR< but also promote the exchange between galleries and museums that is so essential for the development of the art world”.

Great cooperations with the Austrian art institutions
The cooperations with museums and art institutions will not only be continued for ZONE1 but also for the information sector of the >VIENNAFAIR<.
In the context of the expanded cooperation the art institutions present themselves at the >VIENNAFAIR<, add to their postings a voucher for a reduced admission ticket for the >VIENNAFAIR< or allow visitors of the >VIENNAFAIR< to visit the institution for free or at a reduced admission fee. The following institutions participate in this cooperation:
The Albertina, Vienna; the art forum BA-CA Kunstforum, Vienna; lower austria contemporary (art in the public space in lower Austria – Kunstraum NOE; Kunsthalle Krems; the provincial musem Landesmuseum NÖ, Art/Brut Center Gugging, Herman Nitsch Museum in the museum centre Museumszentrum Mistelbach), KUNSTHALLE Vienna; the art history museum kunsthistorisches museum, Vienna; Austrian museum for applied arts and contemporary art, MAK, Vienna; the university of Applied Arts, Vienna; the museum of modern Art foundation Ludwig MUMOK, Vienna; the collection Essl, Klosterneuburg; EVN collection, Maria Enzersdorf; and Kulturkontakt Austria, Vienna.

Art institutions from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe at the >VIENNAFAIR<
As in the previous two years, art institutions from abroad and from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe will be awarded with the possibility to present themselves to the audience also at this year’s >VIENNAFAIR<. Thus, the Academy of Art of the Republic of Kazakhstan, participates this year for the first time in this event.

Award for the best stand design
It is natural that the participating galleries aim to have an attractive stand design at the art fair. As an additional incentive for doing so, the gallery award >VIENNAFAIR GALERIENPREIS<, donated by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, will be bestowed at the >VIENNAFAIR 2008< for the third time. The award is endowed with prize money totalling 5,000 Euros and will be bestowed on April 23, 2008, by Brigitte Jank, president of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

The programme for collectors and those interested in art: the special programmes at the >VIENNAFAIR 2008<
Via a specifically developed programme during the fair and by offering visits at museums and special guided tours, the >VIENNAFAIR< will again attract app. 200 international art collectors and create thus an important basis for the economic success of the participating galleries. A number of lectures and presentations by art institutions from Austria and Eastern Europe complete the diverse offer of the >VIENNAFAIR 2008<. (+++)

Press & PR information:

Paul Hammerl
Tel: +43 (0)662 44 77- 143
paul.hammerl@reedexpo.at
Iris Maier
Tel: +43 (0)1 727 20-224
iris.maier@messe.at
Oliver-John Perry
Tel. +43 (0)1 727 20-226
Oliver-John.Perry@messe.at

Press conference Wednesday, 23rd April 2008, 10.00 am

Messe Wien
Messeplatz 1, A - 1020 Wien

Opening hours
Thursday, 24 April 2008 12.00 - 19.00 h
Friday, 25 April 2008 12.00 - 19.00 h
Saturday, 26 April 2008 11.00 - 19.00 h
Sunday, 27 April 2008 11.00 - 18.00 h

Ticket prices: Day Ticket euro 15,00

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