Note: it seems likely that Viennacontemporary will no longer take place in its previous form. I await news of its future: check locally for details. So the below information no longer necessarily applies.
Previous review:
Bring together a host of art galleries and what do you get? A lot of discussion, for starters. And a rather considerable amount of art. Now throw in interesting side events, and you get viennacontemporary.
- Contemporary art fair with a strong international reach
- 95+ galleries from 20+ countries last time out
- Next dates: TBA
- Book a concert experience* in Vienna
- See also:
Galleries from all over
(View of an earlier fair; press photo courtesy of viennacontemporary and © kunst-dokumentation.com)
It’s easy to stare up at all those old buildings and see Vienna as a time capsule and its art museums as preservers of the past. But that’s just not true.
Art in Vienna sticks its fingers into numerous creative pies. This includes contemporary art, of course, not least through the influence of the MuseumsQuartier collection of museums, venues, and events.
You might consider the viennacontemporary art fair as a collective manifestation of this local contemporary art scene. Alongside various other activities, the event brings together numerous galleries in a showcase of works.
And not just art galleries from Vienna.
Nor just from Austria.
(Aliaksei Barysionak curated ZONE1 in 2025, a special exhibition area that featured upcoming artists. Press photo courtesy of viennacontemporary and © Lea Stüeckeschweiger)
The viennacontemporary event draws participants from across Europe and even beyond. In 2025, for example, the event featured over 95 from more than 20 countries (with over half of the exhibitors from outside Austria).
A programme of activities accompanies the fair, such as curated presentations or a special exhibition of emerging talents.
Next dates, tickets & tips
I don’t have details for any future event at the time of writing. Check locally or at the official website, once available.
The 2025 event took place in Hall D of the VIECON / Messe Wien: a prime venue for major shows, fairs and other events in the city. Based on press reports, the fair will apparently not return there in its current form.
For the record, the VIECON is off to one side of the city, but reached in just a few minutes from the centre via a direct subway connection. If you prefer to stay nearby for one of its many hosted events, I have some hotel tips for you here.
The U2 subway delivers you practically to the front door (get out at Krieau station). Catch the U2 from Schottentor and Schottenring in the centre, for example, and the line is well connected to other subway routes.
VIECON / Messe Wien sits very close to the River Danube, but also to the Prater recreation area. And for architectural inspiration, its surrounds have some sights to delight instagrammers. Look, particularly, for the new university campus of the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien.