The project
It all started in Venice, during the 2014 Architecture Biennale: «Lifting the Curtain. Central European Architecture Networks» presented an exhibition with case studies for architectural cooperations in Central Europe from 1914 until today.
This exhibition, conceived and developed by six institutions from five middle European countries – Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia and Austria – is the starting point for a big common research project on different central European players, associations, collectives and processes that had and have a crucial influence on the formation and the development of modern and contemporary architecture. Additionally, they were never … under this perspective. This topic has been utterly neglected by History of Art and Architecture.
The Exhibition
In the next month, the show will be travelling to Warsaw, Belgrade, Zagreb, Budapest and Prague. The starting point of this tour is Vienna, were the exhibition will be on display from April 9 to May 5 2015 at the Angewandte Innovation Lab (AIL), on the occasion of ÖGFA’s 50 anniversary.
Curators: Sarmen Beglarian (Polish Modern Art Foundation, Warsaw), Piotr Bujas (TRACE, Warsaw), Igor Kovačević (CCEA, Prague), Iris Meder (ÖGFA), Maroje Mrduljaš (Platforma 9,81, Split/Zagreb), Samu Szemerey (KÉK, Budapest)
Organisers: PMAF – Polish Modern Art Foundation, Warsaw; TRACE – Central European Architectural Research Think-tank; CCEA – Centre for Central European Architecture, Prague; KÉK – Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre, Budapest; ÖGFA – Österreichische Gesellschaft für Architektur, Wien – Platforma 9,81 – Institute for Research in Architecture, Zagreb / Split
The Book
During the whole Venice Architecture Biennale the show experienced a big success and many visitors expressed the wish of having the exhibition catalogue. That’s why, on the occasion of the Viennese show, we decided to edit a bilingual publication! We found it crucial to document the rather underresearched topic of cross-border, central European networks constellations and to present it to a broad audience: you!
So we conceived a catalogue for the exhibition, with essays from the curators and the exhibition designers, in English and German: 160 pages, richly illustrated and designed by the exhibition’s graphic artist, Jakub Jezierski . The chapter introductions to the case studies («Encounters», «Experiments», «Research», «Transfers», «Collectives», «Publics», «Individuals») are also bilingual. Furthermore, the book includes 36 case studies and 13 biographies in German.
Want one? Get your copy!
How you can support the project
We had to decide to publish the catalogue in time for the exhibition in Vienna… but without having finished raising the complete funding for its production. That’s why we need your help!
If you are interested in Architecture of the 20th and 21st century, you can support the «Lifting the Curtain» project with a donation or get one of our special packages with book(s) and/or guided tours!
Goodies for you
The exhibition is on display in Vienna from April 9 to May 5 at the Angewandte Innovation Lab (AIL) on Franz Josefs Kai 3. And it’s free!
Furthermore, we have conceived several packages and events around the exhibition for you: that’s how we want to thank you for your support! Have a look at it and choose what you like most. In any case, we can guarantee that you won’t get any of the offers anywhere else. So get your book copy or your guided tour! Or join us for the finissage!