An Online Initiative Is Bringing More Than a Dozen Galleries From Vienna Together to Launch the City’s First Virtual Art Week

In a bid to bring the experience of an art week online, a small
digital design firm has launched Not Cancelled Vienna to highlight
programs by 14 galleries in the Austrian city.

“It is our way to try to help the community when everything had
to shut down, which makes the situation specifically worse for
those smaller galleries who can’t invest a lot of money in online
programs or viewing rooms,” says Istvan Szilagyi, who organized the
event through his company, Treat Agency.

The website, which includes images of artworks, videos of
conversations, and information about participating artists, “heads”
to Berlin for the German city’s art week later this week.
Organizers say 2,500 online visitors have come to the Viennese
edition, and have spent an average of two minutes looking
through various pages.

The dealers contacted by Artnet News say they have been pleased
with the event.

“It’s not really meant as a sales platform,” says dealer
Rosemarie Schwarzwälder. “But the echo in Vienna, especially
in the media, was noticeable, and it kept the online audience
engaged in the gallery scene.”

That local factor is essential, adds Henrikke Nielsen of
the Croy Nielsen gallery.

“We really liked the idea of it being a local project, featuring
only Vienna galleries,” he says. “It might seem strange to limit a
digital project to a physical community, but the current crisis
makes local galleries work more actively together
everywhere. I think Not Cancelled succeeds in doing something
special because of the local focus.”

His gallery is presenting works by LA-based artist Mitchell
Syrop from the 1980s and ’90s, alongside a video about his work and
an interview.

Vienna’s in-person art week, a well-attended gallery-share
event titled Curated By, is still scheduled for the fall. But
the opening of the Albertina Modern, a sparkling new museum,
has been postponed indefinitely.

Not Cancelled Berlin will launch on April 10 with the
participation of 16 galleries, including Eigen+Art,
Klemm’s, Peres Projects, and neugerriemschneider.

Not Cancelled Vienna is on view until April
9.

The post An Online Initiative Is Bringing More Than a Dozen
Galleries From Vienna Together to Launch the City’s First Virtual
Art Week appeared first on artnet News.