Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, TBA21

Under the new name THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA AUGARTEN CONTEMPORARY, the venue will primarily offer public programs that expand on the Belvedere's previous activities focusing on contemporary art at Augarten.

In programming the space, T-B A21 is building on its seven-year experience of hosting exhibitions in Vienna's city center at Himmelpfortgasse, where most of the small and medium-size works in the foundation's collection have been presented in the context of a dozen exhibitions featuring more than 150 artists. The Augarten offers T-B A21 an opportunity to exhibit and contextualize some of its more important large-scale works and installations and will give the foundation the opportunity to premiere its new commissioned works and projects in Vienna. The mission of THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA AUGARTEN CONTEMPORARY furthers the foundation's vision of serving as an agent of transformation, participating actively in the reformulation of our environment and our social space, and creating a site of dialogue and experimentation in Vienna.
 

Opening Up the Collection
Set in a lush corner of the Augarten Park, Augarten Contemporary is an artist's studio built in the 1950s for the sculptor Gustinus Ambrosi. As a sculptor's workshop, it not only lends itself to the presentation of three-dimensional works, illuminated by direct daylight through large skylights, but also fosters an atmosphere of intimacy, working ambience, and personal use.

T-B A21 proposes to critically reconsider the history of the studio by dedicating THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA AUGARTEN CONTEMPORARY primarily to presentations focusing on the production of a single artist, possibly in dialogue with other artistic positions. Based on research and experimentation, these exhibitions will be drawn from the foundation's extensive and internationally celebrated collection. Artists will also be invited to select materials from their individual archives of works, documents, and ephemera and to devise presentations that possibly reveal gaps, reiterations, or create resonances between artworks. These productions reactivate the archive, but also allow artists to engage in new projects exemplifying T-B A21's favorite working methodology: the commissioning process.
Committed to a long-standing engagement with performative practices, THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA AUGARTEN CONTEMPORARY will develop a series of provocative performances, participate in performative collaborations and initiate a stimulating lecture program. This will complement its exhibition program, setting the stage for T-B A21's commitment to interdisciplinary practice. It is intended to develop a relationship with our audience, whether local or international, in this wonderfully attractive location. This is the spirit of T-B A21, and Augarten will become its hub.