until 25.01.2027
Exactly a quarter of a century after the MQ opened, the exhibition looks back on the turbulent history of one of the world’s largest cultural complexes. Through drawings, plans, models and works of art, the exhibition traces a broad arc from the Baroque Hofmarstall and the ‘Messepalast’ to the planning and construction of the MQ. The focus is on the history of the MQ and the architecture of Manfred and Laurids Ortner, who won the international competition in 1990 to design a contemporary cultural forum. Their winning project came under media and political pressure. In the meantime, the Messepalast was used by cultural initiatives such as the Wiener Festwochen, Depot, basis-Wien and T0 (T-Null), amongst others. What was subsequently built from 1997 onwards differs significantly from the architects’ original plans, not least due to the absence of the ‘Leseturm’, which had been conceived as a landmark visible from afar. What has remained is the idea of conceiving the MQ not as a static monument, but as a living space that can constantly change and respond to new challenges and demands. In this sense, the exhibition also aims to open up perspectives for the future of a multipurpose urban space that has become an indispensable part of the city.
Vision and Resistance: How the MuseumsQuartier Changed Vienna
until 25.01.2027
Museumquartier, MQ Freiraum
Museumsplatz 1
1070 Vienna
https://www.mqw.at
