Vienna's Post-Pandemic Art Boom: New Fairs, Major Exhibitions, and Urban Transformation

Vienna is experiencing a construction and cultural boom, with a surge in building projects and a vibrant art scene. The city's Viennacontemporary fair moved to a central but unfinished venue, the Old Post Office, while the Parallel fair occupied 177 rooms in a former polyclinic. The Wiener Festwochen festival expanded to 'Mesi in festa' for its 70th edition, featuring a keynote by Silvia Bottiroli and a conversation between Philippe Parreno and Andrea Lissoni. The Vienna Biennale for Change: Planet Love, centered at the MAK, addresses environmental issues with works like Superflux's 'Invocation for Hope'. The Dom Museum presents 'Fragile Schöpfung', featuring a Caspar David Friedrich painting from 1825. The Albertina Museum hosts a major Modigliani exhibition curated by Marc Restellini with 130 works, while Albertina Modern presents 'Schiele und die Folgen', exploring the artist's influence on later figures like Georg Baselitz, Cindy Sherman, and Maria Lassnig. Lara Favaretto's 'Momentary Monument – The Stone' is installed on Graben, a hollow granite block for donations. The article, written by Franco Veremondi, also discusses Vienna's urban densification and real estate speculation.