Gottfried Helnwein’s ‘I Saw This’ Wraps Vienna’s Ringturm

The Ringturm, a modernist office tower standing 73 meters tall in Vienna’s Innere Stadt, has recently showcased Gottfried Helnwein’s impressive installation titled ‘I Saw This.’ Commissioned by the Vienna Insurance Group (VIG), this artwork envelops the building’s 4,000-square-meter facade with 30 vinyl strips, each measuring three meters in width, and took 160 hours to install. The striking imagery features a young girl in a white tank top holding a combat machine gun, accompanied by flames indicative of an explosion, while one side displays a blue background with the phrase ‘I SAW.’ Helnwein, a Vienna native born in 1948, is renowned for his hyperrealistic, large-scale pieces that confront themes of contemporary violence affecting youth. The Ringturm wrapping tradition, which started around 2006, has included artists like Christian Ludwig Attersee and Robert Hammerstiel. This temporary installation will be on display throughout the summer, positioned near the Schottenring metro station and the Donaukanal, significantly impacting the skyline of the historic area. The last notable installation of similar magnitude was Xenia Hausner’s ‘Familiensinn’ in 2011.