Bad Ischl 2024: European Capital of Culture with Ai Weiwei, Klimt, and Shiota

Bad Ischl, Austria, is serving as the European Capital of Culture 2024 alongside Bodø and Tartu. The program includes a major solo exhibition by Ai Weiwei titled 'Transcending Border', held at the Kaiservilla and Marmorschlössl in the Kaiserpark. The show features the installation 'Zodiac Heads' and a wooden replica of a Qing dynasty house, juxtaposed with prehistoric artifacts from the Hallstatt culture. At the former Sudhaus brewery, the group show 'Kunst mit Salz & Wasser' curated by Gottfried Hattinger includes works by Motoi Yamamoto (a salt labyrinth 'Labyrinth'), Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir ('Garden'), Kati Roover, and Radenko Milak. In the Ebensee concentration camp memorial, Chiharu Shiota presents 'Where are we now', a textile installation with red threads and garments. The cultural program also highlights Gustav Klimt's legacy at the Attersee, with the Klimt Trail and Klimt Garden in Schörfling, and the Klimt Centre reopening on July 5. Bad Ischl itself boasts historic buildings like the Trinkhalle, Lehartheater, and Villa Lehár, the latter now a museum. The town's history as a Habsburg summer residence and its salt-mining heritage are central themes.