Vienna Art Week © Lorenz Seidler

Artsper recently had the privilege of speaking with Robert Punkenhofer, the artistic director of Vienna Art Week. We discussed the festival event coming up in November, and the director outlined many highlights for our viewers. We are pleased to introduce our readers to Robert Punkenhofer!

1. Can you provide an overview of Vienna Art Week and its mission, especially for our global audience who might not be familiar with this event?

VIENNA ART WEEK was founded in 2005 and shines a spotlight on Vienna's vibrant art scene every November. Together with around 70 program partners, the festival offers a week of inspiring art from the Baroque to the present with free admission at all its events and has become one of the most important art events in the Danube region, attracting around 30,000 visitors each year.

Each year, the festival program includes more than 100 events and ranges from guided tours and studio visits to expert talks, performances, workshops and exhibition openings as well as lectures, symposia, and interventions in public spaces.

In addition to being a festival, VIENNA ART WEEK sees itself as a joint platform of the Viennese art community and is based on a cooperation of Viennese art institutions, art universities, galleries, independent art spaces, and artists that is unique worldwide. Our year-round art calendar on the website shows the visitors the diverse offer of the city.    

Left: Portrait of Robert Punkenhofer © Wolfgang Thaler / Right: Installation at Vienna Art Week © Lorenz Seidler

2. Vienna Art Week has been a significant event in Austria's art scene. What are the key highlights and themes for this year's edition, and how do they reflect the evolving landscape of contemporary art?

Every year, the festival has a theme, which serves as an inspiration for the program partners and also as a guideline for the curatorial content of VIENNA ART WEEK's own program. 

VIENNA ART WEEK 2023 revolves around a strong and barely controllable emotion with its theme “INCITING PASSION". While we are probably all united by our passion for art, opinions quickly diverge after that. 

Whether in love and relationships, work, politics, or even religion, passion can be a driving force that inspires and motivates people to pursue their goals and desires with a radical level of commitment and dedication. But it can also be potentially destructive and dangerous. 

VIENNA ART WEEK 2023 aims to capture this ambiguity in all its facets, reflecting the emotional state of our time from private to public spaces.  

3. As an international e-commerce platform for contemporary art, our audience is always interested in the business side of the art world. How does Vienna Art Week contribute to the commercial aspects of contemporary art, such as gallery sales and art market growth?

VIENNA ART WEEK is all about the fantastic artistic content created in Vienna by an amazingly diverse and international artist scene. The commercial and art market aspect does not play a significant role. However, the festival does give visibility to the many artists featured during the Open Studio Days and highlights the inspiring programs by some of the top galleries in town, such as Krinzinger, Hilger and Nächst St. Stephan. It offers expert panels on the art market at the leading central European auction house Dorotheum, with figures such as the CEO of Hauser & Wirth, Konrad Breznik, or Lindsay Dewar of ArtTactic.

Left: Showroom at Vienna Art Week © Wolfgang Thaler / Right: Artwork at Vienna Art Week © Joanna Pianka

4. Vienna is known for its rich cultural heritage. How does Vienna Art Week bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary art, and what unique experiences can attendees expect in this regard?  

VIENNA ART WEEK is not “another Biennale", but a unique festival that offers a wide range of the most cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions all the way to behind-the-scenes looks at baroque masters at the Kunsthistorische Museum and modern painters at the Albertina. Altogether 70 program partners make this fantastic mix possible and ensure an inspiring program for everybody.

5. What advice or insights do you have for artists, galleries, and collectors who want to participate in or engage with Vienna Art Week from an international perspective?  

Sign up early enough - our program fills up quickly. Follow us on Instagram and keep up-to-date by registering for our newsletter. And of course - get in touch with us!

6. Vienna Art Week typically offers a diverse program of exhibitions, talks, and events. Could you highlight a few must-see events or exhibitions for our audience who might be planning to attend?  

Well, where can I start? We have a program with about 100 events, it depends on the personal interests of each visitor. However, we do specifically invite you to come and have a look at the VIENNA ART WEEK 2023 exhibition at the “House of INCITING PASSION" with works by Tracey Emin, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Mona Hatoum, Bill Viola and many more. Or join us for an afternoon full of exciting insights during the “Line-up 2023" - our international top guests include Soyeon Ahn, Artistic Director of Atelier Hermès in Seoul, South Korea, and Noam Segal, Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC. These leaders who will share their expertise in the panel “Passion of curating." Art market analyst Lindsay Dewar of ArtTactic and Ursula Krinzinger, founder of the iconic art gallery Krinzinger, will give insights into the art market and their personal passion for art in the panel “Passion of collecting". Another highlight, of course, is the 125 year anniversary of the Vienna Secession, the legendary artist association, which will be celebrated during VIENNA ART WEEK. You can find information about this and much more on our website.

Left: Visitors admire Vienna Art Week © Lorenz Seidler / Right: Showroom at Vienna Art Week © Lorenz Seidler