The year ahead 2023

Phileas supports artists, curators, galleries and institutions in Austria and works to strengthen their presence on the international landscape of contemporary art. Through long-term partnerships with museums, biennials and art institutions around the world, we enable the production and exhibition of new artworks and their donation to public collections.

Founded in Vienna in 2014 as an independent organization funded by the contributions of private members, Phileas has formed a strategic partnership with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and Culture in 2023 to create a new organization named Phileas—The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art.

The ground floor of an historic building on the Ringstrasse, close to the Secession, the Academy of Fine Arts, and many contemporary galleries and museums, will provide a new working space for the organization and a window into our international activities.

This year Phileas is collaborating with museums and biennials across the world to support the following projects:

12th Liverpool Biennial for the participation of Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński
RIBOCA3 Riga Biennial for the participation of Toni Schmale
WIELS, Brussels, and Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh, for a new performance work by Nikima Jagudajev
Palais de Tokyo, Paris, for an exhibition of Ashley Hans Scheirl and Jakob Lena Knebl
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for a survey of the film works of Maria Lassnig
Komplot, Brussels, for a solo exhibition of Michaela Schweighofer
Kunsthaus Glarus, Switzerland, for a solo exhibition of Sophie Gogl
ARAC, Bucharest, for a two-person exhibition with Sophie Thun 
Kunstverein Braunschweig for a solo exhibition of Barbara Kapusta
Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, for a new commission by Soshiro Matsubara
The Showroom, London, for a solo exhibition of Oliver Ressler 
Museo Nazionale della Montagna, Turin, for a new commission by Michael Höpfner 
IKOB, Belgium, for a solo exhibition of Veronika Eberhart
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden, for a new commission by Christian Kosmas Mayer
Jim Thompson Art Center, Thailand, for a solo exhibition of Kay Walkowiak
CCA Temporary Gallery, Cologne, for a solo exhibition of Ines Doujak
The Cosmic House at The Jencks Foundation, London, for a solo exhibition of Sonia Leimer
35th Bienal de São Paulo for the participation of (artist to be announced) 

Our new public space in Vienna will present exhibitions that Phileas has recently supported and co-produced around the world. The three projects that will be shown in 2023 are:

John Gerrard: Leaf Work (in collaboration with the Biennale of Sydney)
March 22–June 9, 2023 

Friedl Kubelka vom Gröller: Songs of Experience (in collaboration with MACRO, Rome)
June 21–September 15, 2023

Markus Schinwald: Panorama (in collaboration with the Biennale de Lyon)
September 29–December 22, 2023

Each exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of public talks, screenings, performances and other events. 

Phileas produces an annual series of publications titled First Monographs, which provide the first comprehensive overview of the work of an Austrian or Austria-based artist and introduce them to an international audience. Our second monograph in the series presents the work of Christian Kosmas Mayer and will be published in May 2023 by DISTANZ with graphic design by Marie Artaker.

Phileas also runs an active Visitor Programme that invites international curators, art critics and museum groups to Austria throughout the year, maintains an Artist Library of exhibition catalogues, publications, and portfolios available for research and consultation at its Vienna office, and supports the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale through a combination of fundraising, publishing, and art historical research.

For more information, see phileas.art or write to us at office@phileas.art.