VIENNA.- In our largely globalized society, artistic questions and strategies comply less and less with the borders of topographic or political geographies. Rather, they increasingly reflect new forms of a sociocultural discourse that links different stakeholders – also with the help of new social media – into a global network regardless of cultural boundaries. A place located at the intersection of different cultures which recognizes its function as a catalyst in the advancement of these new cultural identities is virtually predestined to assume a position at the forefront of new artistic developments. With its rich cultural heritage, but also an extraordinarily dynamic and increasingly multi-ethnic contemporary art scene, Vienna deserves an art fair with an international format that corresponds with its status of a metropolis and with Austrian galleries that have, for many years, successfully positioned themselves in the international art market.

With the elaboration of the exhibition format behind VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary, an important first step has successfully been made toward an enhanced international presence in the gallery scene and, above all, among art collectors around the world. The participation of renowned international and national galleries in combination with the presentation of younger galleries that act as forerunners in contemporary art production enables VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary to offer the unique opportunity to experience the work of established artists alongside that of emerging artists and new talents – and a chance for buyers to expand their own art collections in both directions.

The idea of Europe as an expanded economic and cultural space, beyond the borders of the EU, is central in the further development of the focus on Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, an idea that once again demonstrates VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary’s unique position in the international art fair circuit. In addition to the numerous Eastern European galleries, many of which began their international careers in earlier editions of VIENNAFAIR, VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary also presents Istanbul’s upcoming gallery scene, both renowned and young galleries from St. Petersburg and Moscow, and even a special showcase of art from the Caucasus region, which is still far removed from the art market. This creates an unrivaled and lively platform for exchange between the still very Western-oriented art market and regions in which totally new forms of cooperation between art, economy, and civil society are currently blossoming.

Informed significantly by the parallel development of digital technologies and the historical emergence of new political geographies, unprecedented cooperations are forming internationally between the individual arts sectors, between high and pop culture, and between artistic practices and the creative industries. VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary investigates these phenomena – for example, in the special program VIENNA CLICK and also prior to the fair in its International Art Industry Forum – and demonstrates the creative potential of such interconnections. VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary thereby offers the creative scene a forum where they can discuss strategies for the development of new markets with prominent international representatives from cultural and creative industries, the finance sector, and the art market. In this way, Vienna becomes a breeding ground for innovative and far-reaching artistic ideas and a laboratory for new economic models in the global art market.