Testimonials Visiting Curators Vienna 2019
In the fast paced world, where months for a a slowed down long term residency seemed like an impossible thing, a 2-week Visiting Curators Program in Vienna imagined and organized by Verein K seemed a perfect opportunity. Such a short term residency, devised as a study visit for a rather a small group of 5 international curators is a well balanced individually tailor-made program meeting different expectations. The intense period and full schedule are structured between custom-made individual and group studio visits, meeting artists and curators, gallery hopping, guided tours, talks and dinners, to grasp a rich and diverse artistic scene in Vienna. Besides professional research, contacts and exchange of ideas, it offered space for new friendships. The small Verein K team is working on a project with great enthusiasm, care and professional precision.
Carefully and intelligently organized – very professional – the Verein K Visiting Curators programme provided me with an excellent opportunity to approach the artistic scene in Vienna, where I was able to meet artists and establish relations with institutions that I would definitely like to collaborate with. I found the experience inspiring, both in terms of the artists I hope to work with in the near future, and also exchanges and conversations with the other residents present during my stay, which may lead to us developing joint programmes. I am very grateful and honoured to have taken part in this adventure, which surpassed my expectations, giving me time to study, discuss, exchange ideas and learn about artists and concepts within my field of research. Lastly, I should mention the practical aspects of the residency which, like everything else, were well organized. My warmest thanks to all the members of Verein K for their professionalism and dedication.
I’m very grateful of Verein K’s great organization and for the very professional and thorough visit of the Vienna art scene.
I was able to meet artists and art workers who share some of my interests as well as to discover new people, artists and fields of research. I’ve really appreciated the visits of institutions and the connexions made with curators or directors. Vienna appears now as a much larger and complex cultural city than what I envisionned before this trip.
Not only in term of the art scene but in term of a multi-cultural city that might play an essential role in the construction of a more inclusive and more culturally united Europe, merging the east, west, north and south of the continent!
When I received via email my individual programme of the upcoming Visiting Curators Vienna 2019, my first thought was ‘What a wonderful programme! It is prepared with love.’ And it was really so; the whole stay in Vienna was imbued with high attention and respect towards each other.
I am very happy that I took part in this short yet very intense curatorial residency. It favoured sharing and comparing experiences with other curators from different countries. The programme was very nicely balanced in terms of individual and collective meetings with other participants; studio visits, meeting curators and visiting different venues — off-spaces, galleries and established institutions. I think that in such a short term this programme has shown the diversity and intensity of Viennese arts scene. The programme has also helped me to shape some ideas of my own and curatorial vision. And I do hope to start working with some of the artists that I met and I would be happy to any possible exchange in the future.
– Tatiana Kochubinska, Ukraine
Verein K is an independent arts and cultural organization from Vienna, founded in January 2018. Verein K focuses on projects in the field of contemporary art and culture connecting diverse cultural and social interests: critical approaches to contemporary art, creating curatorial platforms as well as enabling innovative cultural practices including diverse social groups.