Art and culture are to be found everywhere on the campus of the University of Klagenfurt. Built by Roland Rainer, the extensively refurbished ‘Vorstufengebäude’ was the very first university building to be built on campus and is now protected by a preservation order.
The campus has a vibrant, diverse cultural life. Exhibitions are regularly put on by Wissen schafft Kunst (“Knowledge creates art”). The University Cultural Centre (UNIKUM) forges links between artistic practice and creative research. The exhibition series Kostbarkeiten aus der Bibliothek (“Treasures of the library”) displays rare bibliophilic treasures and fascinating library stories.
With events ranging from Spanish theatre to a lecture series on Star Trek, the campus culture is brought to life by the people who work and study here.
On campus, art is everywhere. Most striking of all are the artworks, created by major international artists that were incorporated into the university’s “new” architecture, which was built in 2002.
The Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft commissioned five artworks from Šejla Kamerić, Lawrence Weiner, Heimo Zobernig, Valentin Oman and Viktor Rogy, in cooperation with the University Cultural Centre (UNIKUM), for the extensions to the library and South Wing. The commission was curated by art project manager Martin Fritz.
Over the past two decades, a number of acquisitions and donations of art objects have also been made, together with temporary loans from the federal art-lending library. You can take a virtual art tour here.
The University of Klagenfurt regularly hosts exhibitions, such as the ARTEFICIA exhibition to mark its 50th anniversary.
The focus of ARTEFICIA is on the literary, visual and musical artists Michael Guttenbrunner, Peter Turrini, Peter Handke, Josef Winkler, Maja Haderlap, Valentin Oman, Manfred Bockelmann, Maria Lassnig and Wolfgang Puschnig. Details are available on this website.
The exhibition series “Treasures of the library” exhibits specialities and rara avis from the inventories of the University Library in the periodicals reading room (level 2 of the librarx). Further information about the series and the exhibits can be found on the website of the University Library.
The bilingual deluxe volume “Kostbarkeiten aus der Bibliothek | Treasures of the Library” gathers exhibit photos and lecture texts from the first ten presentations held so far. The first volume accompanying the exhibition series and the first 10 exhibitions was published in 2017. On 1 October 2020, the 2nd volume with the exhibition series 11 to 20 was published. The large-format volume contains 54 illustrations, many of them in original size. Details about the book.
In the anniversary year 2020, the Reflectorium in the Vorstufengebäude was equipped with a new permanent exhibition. The historian Johannes Dafinger and his students have been working on the history and the final phase of the founding of the University of Klagenfurt in 1970 under the title “Der Griff nach den Sternen | Reaching for the stars”.
Additionally, a permanent exhibition about the history of the University of Klagenfurt is taking place in a vividly expanding form, as a virtual exhibition called AAU HiStories.
The University Cultural Centre (UNIKUM) is an experimental space for art and cultural projects. Founded in 1986 and managed for many years by Emil Krištof and Gerhard Pilgram, UNIKUM is now under the directorship of Alina Zeichen and Niki Meixner.
The Lakeside Art Space is located in the Lakeside Science & Technology Park. The venue regularly hosts themed exhibitions featuring works by contemporary, internationally-recognised artists.
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