Until the end of June the illustrations, murals and art works of Keith Haring curate the walls of the Albertina Museum in Vienna. The perfect contemporary companion to this artist’s work can be found on the walls of public places across Vienna. Here admirers of Haring and fellow artists have found spaces for their own expressions and murals.
Bright designs cover the banks of Vienna’s canal (Photo: Roisin McAuley)
The creativity in this city is not limited to museums, nor does the creative scene rely on the numerous composers and classical musicians who are synonymous with the city. To view some highlights of the contemporary art scene of Vienna you don’t even need to pay to enter a museum; the walls of the city and banks of its canals are canvases for energetic designs and new talent of the city. Below we’ve listed five of the best spots for street art in the city.
Street Art Passage showcases various styles of urban art (Photo: Roisin McAuley)
Street Art Passage
Found centrally behind the city’s Museum Quarter, Street Art Passage adds another style to selection of galleries and museums that surround it. The passage is decorated in murals taking the form of portraits and delicate illustrations as well as bold graphic text. The well-known urban artist Invader’s graphically composed Space Invader is made of blue and black squares, creating dazzling optics for viewers, photographers, and passersby. The passage can be accessed from behind the Museum Quarter, via Breite Gasse, or by passing through the central museum complex and climbing the steps next to the Mumok.
Breite Gasse
The Calle Libre Festival
The Calle Libre Festival takes over the walls of the city as it celebrates urban art and contemporary graffiti. It aims to widen the audience of street and de-stigmatise the medium; moving away from the it being understood as urban scrawlings and vandalism. Taking place in August, the festival is based Vienna’s 7th district and decorating public spaces in order to ensure that is is accessible to anyone and everyone in the city.
Various locations in the 7th District
One of many creations on the banks of Donaukanal (Photo: Roisin McAuley)
The banks of the Donaukanal
The surroundings of the Donaukanal are so vibrant we’ve listed it twice – with a specific highlight of the canal detailed below. The banks of the Vienna’s canal stretch around the city and give the opportunity for a variety of artists’ creations: comic book style series tell stories, detailed illustrations envelop walls and murals merge into one another in a celebration of the city’s creativity.
Donaukanal
Buildings on Buildings
Artist Aldo Giannotti’s project Buildings on Buildings interacts with three spaces across the city. The project was made in collaboration with Vienna’s Institute of Public Art (KÖR Kunst im öffentlichen Raum). With the aim of bringing art to the public and removing the limitations on accessibility that galleries impose, Giannotti’s project shares ideas of social competence. The three interventions of this project use buildings’ façades as a canvas on which more buildings are drawn. Conceived in 2017, the nature of street art does mean that the project is temporary though the institute has not given an indication when Giannotti’s creations might be replaced by others.
Yppenplatz 4, Gumpendorfer Straße 40-44 and Grangasse 6
David Shillinglaw’s bright characters and creations surround Flex Nightclub on Donaukanal (Photo: Roisin McAuley)
Flex Nightclub on Donaukanal
Whilst the banks of canal are open to all artists, one particular area is dominated by the artwork of David Shillinglaw. In the surrounding of the FLEX nightclub, Shillinglaw’s bright mural was made as part of a residency with the club in 2016. His witty creations and colourful characters extend past the premises; spreading the energy of the club outside into the reach of the public.
Augartenbrücke 1