In the group exhibition “THE MATERIAL SHOW”, the focus is on the materials that support, shape, and structure our built environment: concrete, stone, wood, metal, and glass. Twelve Austrian and international artists turn their attention to the fundamental substances of architecture and to the continuous cycle of building and demolition, of usefulness and transience. Featuring works by Lara Almarcegui, Hannes Böck, Cäcilia Brown, Werner Feiersinger, Andreas Fogarasi, Daria Koltsova, LITTLE WARSAW, Markéta Othová, Bianca Pedrina, Nick Relph, Iris Touliatou, and Christoph Weber. The exhibition is curated by artist Andreas Fogarasi and MQ chief curator Astrid Peterle.

“‘We build houses. We take them apart’ does not describe a contradiction but a cycle. Building and demolition are not opposites but two sides of the same cultural technique. The exhibition ‘The Material Show’ examines precisely this process, because resources are finite. Land is contested. Cities are becoming denser. At the same time, buildings stand empty,” says MQ director Bettina Leidl.

Drawing on the long-term research of artist and co-curator Andreas Fogarasi, the exhibition brings together positions united by a shared interest. Through their artistic and research-based practices, the artists direct attention to materials that are often taken for granted and typically only noticed once they cease to function or have already been ruined. The exhibition also responds to current urban developments, such as the gigantic shell structure on Mariahilfer Straße, erected only shortly before one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in Austrian history and now being demolished again.

“THE MATERIAL SHOW” takes place in a location whose architectural structure reflects more than 300 years of change and transformation. With the planned construction of the new House of Austrian History and the greening of its inner courtyards, the MQ itself continues to evolve. In a time marked by increasing crises and upheavals, the exhibition directs attention—architecturally as well as socially—to what is necessary but should not be taken for granted. At the same time, it invites visitors to discover beauty in what is fundamental.