About VCAS
Founded in 2022 by Vienna-based artists Abigail Brown and Patrick Loan, VCAS - Vienna Contemporary Art Space was created to fill a gap in the city's contemporary art landscape: a platform for experimental, interdisciplinary work that connects local talent with global voices. What began as an artist-led initiative to create meaningful dialogue between artists and audiences has evolved into a growing cultural space that serves as a bridge between Vienna art institutions and international talent—establishing ourselves as a dynamic space in Vienna's cultural ecosystem.
Our Vision
To foster a dynamic, inclusive art community in Vienna that connects local and global voices through bold, interdisciplinary contemporary art, promoting dialogue and exchange around the pressing issues of our time.
Photo: Live performance by (I) Instructor, Touch my thighs, feel my calves, Public | Private exhibition vernissage on June 16th, 2024.
Our Mission
VCAS connects Vienna's local talent with the international art community through exhibitions, residencies, and socially engaged art programs. We champion experimental and interdisciplinary practices while fostering meaningful dialogue between artists and audiences around contemporary issues. Our approach embraces creative risk-taking and diverse perspectives as catalysts for cultural transformation, and we actively work to remove barriers for emerging and underrepresented voices in the arts.
Our Approach
We operate with a distinctive curatorial philosophy that connects contemporary art practice with concepts that shape everyday life—from examining how technology impacts how we interact with our environments to investigating how borders affect identity and belonging. From premieres at Blickle Kino in Belvedere 21 to launching our Vienna–Albania artist residency exchange, we deliver ambitious projects that resonate beyond the art world. Our non-hierarchical selection process prioritizes artistic merit and conceptual rigor over established networks, creating opportunities for underrepresented voices of all backgrounds.
As an artist-run organization with team members connected to international networks spanning the UK, US, Australia, and Eastern Europe, we bring a genuinely global perspective to Vienna's cultural landscape. This allows us to support local artists in building international careers while introducing audiences to challenging work and diverse perspectives that might otherwise remain unseen.
We believe art is a vital space for encounter—a way to challenge assumptions, cultivate empathy, and create shared understanding across difference. At a time when inclusive, cross-border cultural exchange is more essential than ever, VCAS offers a fresh model for artist-centered collaboration and public engagement—strengthening Vienna's role in the global contemporary art dialogue around the most pressing issues of our time.
Opening Vernissage, 90 Seconds to Midnight, group exhibition, part of the Vienna Art Week 2024
VCAS Team
Ziegi Boss
President / Founder
Treasurer / Founder
Vice President
(I) Instructor
Oliver Cloke
Secretary
Melina Steiner
(Abigail Brown)
(Patrick Loan)