museum in progress is a private art association based in Vienna. The association was created in 1990 by Kathrin Messner and Josef Ortner († 2009) with the aim to develop new presentation forms for contemporary art. The projects are implemented in each case on the basis of co-operation between economy, art and media.
The exhibition activity of museum in progress concentrates on media and public spaces. For example, newspapers, magazines, billboards, building fronts, television and internet are used. The works of art exhibited by museum in progress are specifically created for the medium, dependent on the context and temporary.
This working technique enables museum in progress to overcome the distance between everyday life and places of art as well as to reach a far larger public than traditional museums.
Art, Society and Media (1994–1996): Symposium with artists, art critics, philosophers and essayists about art, media and the social reality of the 90’s. Contributions were published in Der Standard. Participants: Jean Baudrillard, Pierre Bourdieu, Gilles Deleuze, Carsten Höller, Kasper König, Otto Mühl, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Paul Virilio, et al.
Billboard (1991–2001): The billboards created by artists were shown in each case on approx. 3000 billboards in Vienna for two months. Participating artists: Jeremy Deller, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Rosemarie Trockel, et al.
DO IT – TV-Version (1995–1996): The cultural show “10 1/2” of the Austrian broadcast (ORF) weekly presented one to three minutes video-clips with “instructions for action”, created by international artists. Participants: Leon Golub, Damien Hirst, Ilya Kabakov, Yoko Ono, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Erwin Wurm, et al.
Portraits of Artists (1992–2001): A discussion series on video with internationally renowned artists, following an artistic concept of Peter Kogler. Participants: Vito Acconci, Georg Baselitz, Günter Brus, Gilbert & George, Jenny Holzer, Hermann Nitsch, Arnulf Rainer, Lawrence Weiner, Heimo Zobernig, et al.
Safety Curtain (since 1998): The exhibition series in the Vienna State Opera transforms the fire wall between stage and auditorium into a temporary showroom for contemporary art. Participating artists: Tauba Auerbach, Matthew Barney, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Joan Jonas, Jeff Koons, Maria Lassnig, Cy Twombly, et al.
Travelling Eye (1995–1996): An exhibition project in the news magazine profil. Participants: John Baldessari, Nan Goldin, Gabriel Orozco, Gerhard Richter, et al.
With an Open Mind – Tolerance and Diversity (2002): Twelve full-page artistic interventions in the daily papers Der Standard and Süddeutsche Zeitung. Participating artists: Thomas Bayrle, Tacita Dean, Douglas Gordon, Ken Lum, et al.
Woman/War/Victimage/Resistance (1994–1995): A work in six-parts, which deals with the insufficiently examined Austrian National Socialist past, in particular with the roles of perpetrator and victim. The exhibition series of Nancy Spero was published in Der Standard.
