Kunsthaus Graz
The Kunsthaus Graz is radically different from traditional exhibition spaces, whose rooms follow
the conventional idea of the ‘white cube’. The prevailing specific spatial situation makes
particular demands on the work of curators that call for a creative dialogue process involving the
projected content of the exhibition, the spatial implementation and the technical feasibility. The
experiences of the early years already proved instructive as to how the two Space01 and
Space02 exhibition areas should be handled. One thing became especially clear: a singular
building of this kind with an idiosyncratic if also hermetic exhibition situation requires constant
redefinition of the interior space. Widely differing projects and installations were the result, and
guidelines have been drawn up.
It turned out for example that the lower level (Space02) allowed new forms of presentation of
large-format pictures, but also suited multimedia and video installations. The best examples of
this to date have been the John Baldessari exhibition (Life’s Balance. Works 84-04) and the
Aleph project featuring works from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary collection or
Screening Real. Conner Lockhart Warhol, where, thanks to the flexible structure of the rooms, a
particularly strong dynamic was set up between the exhibits and the setting. The level directly
beneath the distinctive nozzles, Space01, is just right for large sculptural and three-dimensional
works.
Works such as Diana Thaters large-format video installation gorillagorillagorilla, Sol LeWitt’s monumental work WALL, and the space-related works of Liz Larner and Michael Majerus, drew attention to the three-dimensional potential of this domed area and its exhibition space, which was initially the subject of much heated discussion. An exemplary use of this space
was the exhibition design for M City, produced by the Spanish architectural duo ReD, which was
awarded the Feidad 2005 architectural prize. Another was the exhibition architecture designed
by artist Heimo Zobernig for Inventory, which confirmed once again the Kunsthaus Graz’s role as
an architectural laboratory. Zobernig waded into the debate about traditional exhibition systems
with guns blazing, and his deconstruction of the interior not only impressed press
representatives but surprised visitors as well.
In 2012, as part of the exhibition Cittadellarte. Teilen und verändern [Cittadellarte. Sharing
Transformation] a small “art city” made of wood caused a stir. Alluding to Michelangelo
Pistoletto’s “Cittadellarte” in Biella, the “art city” was created according to the basic principle of
acting and living together, dispensing with the customary involvement of artists and curators in
favour of activist participation, and its residents were a wide variety of artists’ collectives.
The urban-development aspects and benefits of the Friendly Alien have also been more
significant than originally expected. Today, the Kunsthaus Graz occupies a privileged location in
the city, the area having undergone a tremendous upturn since 2003. Architects Peter Cook and
Colin Fournier thus came up with an urban-planning solution that has had a positive influence
on everyday life in this part of the city, and is not only closely attuned to the historic
architectural fabric of Graz but also constitutes a clear symbol of the great architectural
tradition of Graz.
