ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Christoph Büchel Transforms MONA into Giant Shopping Mall Installation

exhibition · 2026-04-23

Christoph Büchel created a massive shopping mall installation called Southdale within the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania. The project ran from June to December 2014. Büchel converted the museum's lower levels into a commercial complex that included a fully integrated Starbucks outlet. This provocative intervention generated significant criticism from various quarters. The installation was documented in the February 2015 issue of artpress magazine (issue 419, page 12).

Key facts

  • Christoph Büchel created an installation called Southdale
  • The installation transformed MONA into a giant shopping mall
  • It included a Starbucks integrated into the museum structure
  • The project ran from June to December 2014
  • The installation was located at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
  • The museum is in Hobart, Tasmania
  • The project generated significant criticism
  • It was documented in artpress magazine issue 419 in February 2015

Entities

Artists

  • Christoph Büchel

Institutions

  • Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
  • artpress
  • Starbucks

Locations

  • Hobart
  • Tasmania
  • Australia

Sources