Franz West's Posthumous Exhibition at MUMOK Explores Absence and Interaction

Franz West's exhibition at MUMOK in Vienna opened after his death, making his absence palpable throughout the show. The title, 'Where Is My Eight?', references a 2004 gouache called Lost Weight, hinting at transformation and obscurity. On the first floor, wall texts warn that conservation concerns prevent full physical interaction with his Adaptives, sculptures from the late 1970s designed for handling, altering the intended viewer experience. The second floor features a lively reading room with sofas, videos, and publications, alongside Studiolo (2005), a collaborative stage with Heimo Zobernig and Zlatan Vukosavljevic that invites playful engagement. The top floor displays more conventional recent works like Untitled (2012), a yellow aluminum sculpture. West's collaborations with artists like Martin Kippenberger and Jason Rhoades are included, reflecting his central role in Vienna's art scene. The exhibition highlights tensions between institutional preservation and West's participatory ethos, as seen in Genealogy of the Untouchable (1997). It originally appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of ArtReview.