WEST: A Laboratory for Art, Ideas, and Social Change
With two locations and a diverse program, WEST is participating in VIENNA ART WEEK 2026 this year.
Residual~Futures Residency at Reallabor Fassfabrik, Practice by Wanling Mo, photo (c) Geli Gold
WEST is a place where art meets social issues, creativity meets pragmatism, and improvisation meets structure. The result is a vibrant microcosm of urban transformation.
WEST launched its first project in 2020 in a temporary use building next to Westbahnhof. In March 2022, it moved to the Alte WU. Today, WEST operates out of five temporary use buildings in Vienna.
Where space emerges, community emerges as well—and with it, new forms of togetherness. Over the years, WEST’s spaces have not only served as a venue where artists and cultural practitioners have worked, exhibited, and performed, but have also provided a home for educational institutions, social initiatives, NGOs, and even medical training programs.
As part of VIENNA ART WEEK, WEST will present projects at two of its five locations: the OWA and the Reallabor Fassfabrik.
Fassfabrik at OWA Exhibition, Instrument by Paul Plut, Painting by Rudolf Aigelsreiter, photo (c) Geli Gold
From small-scale works to large-scale projects: Within the historic walls of the impressive Art Nouveau complex of the Otto Wagner Areal, WEST OWA offers space for innovation—whether for exhibitions, private studios, collaborative creative ventures, pop-up events in the former hair salon, or photo shoots in the in-house photo studio. Here, curator Rychèl Thérin Scott presents the exhibition Good Luck Mutterschen, which explores the intersections between Motherhood and artistic production.
At the WEST Reallabor Fassfabrik, visions both big and small find a home. Spanning more than 1,000 square meters, with spaces ranging from very large to very small, this venue hosts projects that rely on direct exchange and site-specific, material research.
Last summer, WEST hosted its first artist residency here, titled “Residual~Futures.” Now, the residents are exhibiting the results of their artistic research. In addition, WEST is hosting a panel discussion featuring thought leaders engaged in site-specific and relational research at the intersections of art, science, and social and ecological change.
