From 21 to 23 March 2025, Vienna’s MARX HALLE will once again be host to a buzzing gathering of the international and national art communities when SPARK Art Vienna returns for the fourth time as Austria's largest contemporary art fair. Ninety galleries will be presenting individual works by emerging and established artists from all over the world. In addition, works by thirteen other artists and collectives will be showcased in the form of sculptures and as part of the performance and video program.
The overall architectural concept in the historic MARX HALLE offers all participating galleries identically sized exhibition spaces and creates a special atmosphere in which the works on display are given the space they need to come to life. Thanks to the solo presentations, visitors can engage intensively with the individual artists. Numerous works have been created exclusively for SPARK and will be exhibited here for the first time. Emerging artists especially will be given a platform in this international environment where they can stage their first solo exhibition at an international fair.
“There has already been considerable interest from collectors in the run-up to the fair and some of the works being exhibited at SPARK have already sold,” say artistic directors Jan Gustav Fiedler and Walter Seidl, who are looking forward to another successful year for the fair. Last year, several galleries were already reporting sold-out stands on the first day of the fair with excellent sales overall at SPARK.
SPARK Art Fair 2025
Photos: Raphael Fasching
ART AS A MIRROR OF SOCIETY
“We see SPARK Art Vienna 2025 once again as a place of creative exchange that explores urban, hybrid and heterogeneous forms of coexistence. In the GLOBE Theatre of the MARX HALLE, the dynamics of urban structures will be reflected in a varied program comprising live performances, video presentations and artistic interpretations,” explain Fiedler and Seidl.
Rounding off the exhibition is a world-class series of discussions which are open to the public: Renowned curators and experts from the contemporary art scene will give insights into current social developments and the growing role of artificial intelligence in the art world in a program of engaging talks. Awards will also be presented in collaboration with the partners of the fair in recognition of outstanding artistic contributions. These include the prize for the best emerging artist and the most inspiring gallery concept.
Lois Weinberger, Tree Celebration, 1977, cherry tree, plastic bags, and tarps, photographic work (Ed. 5). © Lois Weinberger. Courtesy: Galerie Krinzinger
Lara Killer, Abgaben #6, 2024, acrylic, matches, hard epoxy on wood, 135 x 155 cm (with frame). Courtesy: the artist and Walter Storms Galerie
Ville Kylätasku, Coast Is Clear, 2025, oil on canvas, 160 x 140cm
DIVERSE INTERNATIONAL ART
The array of artists featured in the exhibition is diverse and ranges from renowned greats such as Lois Weinberger, who with his works has redefined the boundaries between art, nature and society, to Sanja Iveković, a pioneer of feminist art, and Gregor Schneider, winner of the Golden Lion at the 49th Venice Art Biennale. At the same time, promising newcomers such as Vera Klimentyeva, Ville Kylätasku, Lunita-July Dorn, Assunta Abdel Azim Mohamed, and Laura Killer will have the opportunity to showcase their innovative approaches at this prestigious event and explore new artistic directions.
ART MEETS TECHNOLOGY: DIGITAL INNOVATION
One of the highlights of SPARK Art Vienna 2025 is the interaction between art and technology. The award-winning digital installation ‘PARALLELS’ by Marc Da Costa and Matthew Niederhauser will be on display in Austria for the first time. This site-specific LED installation reacts to its surroundings in real time and offers visitors an immersive experience of machine vision. This extraordinary multimedia presentation is made possible by a partnership with Bitpanda, one of Europe's leading crypto brokers.
Station Rose, 1988/2025, digital artwork. Photo: STATION ROSE
DISCUSSIONS & PERFORMANCES IN THE GLOBE THEATRE
The GLOBE Theatre within Vienna's MARX HALLE will once again become the heart of both discourse and performance art. A curated film program will be featuring works by outstanding artists, while panel discussions on topics such as artificial intelligence, security for collectors and socio-cultural interactions in performance art will provide the audience with in-depth insights into current developments. For instance, the growing importance of AI in art will be debated by panelists such as gallery owner Annka Kultys, art critic and journalist Nadine Khalil and Christian Trummer, Chief Scientist at Bitpanda, as part of the session “Between Reality and Virtuality: Digital Art and AI.”
For the first time, SPARK Art Vienna will also present a curated performance program: On the opening night, the Smartphone Orchestra will transform visitors' smartphones into a collective musical instrument to create an interactive work of sound art. This will be followed on Friday by the performance lecture “37.0_SPRING TAKES NEVER HAD A PLAN B’ by STATION ROSE, which combines digital art with live audiovisual elements. On Saturday, the HUNG TONGUE performance-lecture by Slavs and Tatars will focus on the performativity of language and multilingualism in the context of media translations.
The program also includes video performances by artists who are also represented at the fair. These include pioneering performance artists from the former Yugoslavia, Sanja Iveković (1 Mira Madrid) and Raša Todosijević (X Vitamin), as well as Selma Selman (acb), who will be presenting a new version of her iconic performance You Have No Idea.
SPARK Art Fair 2025. Photo: Raphael Fasching
FAMILY-FRIENDLY ART
A special highlight for families is the Children's Workshop on Sunday, which is organised in collaboration with Kinderwelt Österreich and with the backing of UNIQA. Interactive stations, creative workshops and child-friendly guided tours invite young visitors to playfully discover art and get creative themselves. Admission is free for children under fourteen, while parents can attend at a reduced price of €14, making the art fair an experience to remember for the whole family.
FIFTY YEARS OF BMW ART CARS: ART MEETS MOBILITY
The close connection between art, technology and mobility is symbolised by the BMW Group's Vienna branch, which will be returning as the mobility partner of SPARK Art Vienna. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the BMW Art Car series, BMW has brought along the two iconic models by David Hockney (BMW Art Car No. 14) and Jeff Koons (No. 17), which will be exhibited at MARX HALLE.
MARX HALLE, Vienna. Photo: HEY-U
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20 March: Press conference: 10h; VIP opening: 12h; Public vernissage 17h
21 & 22 March: 11-19h
23 March: 11-18h
MARX HALLE
Karl-Farkas-Gasse 19
1030 Vienna