Demokratie leben

The Austrian State Treaty not only reaffirms the rejection of National Socialism. The State Treaty also contains a clear commitment to modern democracy, human rights and the rights of ethnic groups. Even though we have now succeeded in forming a viable government of reasonable forces following the National Council elections, the political discourse in our society continues to be increasingly shaped by neoliberal tendencies and authoritarian narratives. We want to counter this and use the voice of art to remind people how the majority of the population in Austria wants to live. 70% of people in our country want peaceful, respectful coexistence and a cosmopolitan climate of diversity for our living together now and in the future! Practiced values such as tolerance, equal opportunities for minorities and the freedom of art should continue to have a high priority and be protected and defended in our democracy.

For this reason, Gewista and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna have joined forces to launch a campaign with artistically designed subjects on various digital media, which will accompany the public in their everyday lives and encourage them to reflect, send a strong signal for democracy and remind them how we want to live together in this country.

Following the pilot phase in the summer, six alumni and students were selected by the expert jury from a second competition to present their artistic interventions and contributions in January and February 2026 on all digital City Lights in Vienna, as well as on the web and all social media channels of the Academy and Gewista:

With his subject matter, artist Oscar Binder warns against the current global erosion of democracy, while Johannes Gierlinger appeals to our responsibility for future generations with the quote “Every epoch dreams of the next” from Walter Benjamin's Passagenwerk. Martina Lajczak's photo of a microphone in front of the magnificent wallpaper door in the Hofburg is inspired by The Style Council's music video “Shout to the Top!” and is intended to encourage us to use our voices to promote solidarity and cooperation. In a self-referential coup, Hanna Kaufmann's depiction of a covered Gewista advertising space appeals to the maturity, but also to the imagination, of the viewer. Julia Zastava's work reflects on the conditioning of humans by hegemonic narratives, while Anna Spanlang's contribution addresses the privilege of origin.

The project was created as an activity within the framework of Academy | Art | Public Sphere, an overarching, internal committee whose program promotes engagement with different urban publics, with diverse addresses and actors. With this focus, the academy characterizes its understanding of artistic practice - such as interventions in public space, interventions as well as actionist and activist art forms - and their mediation, academic work and university policy profiling. We are delighted to have found a perfect cooperation partner for the Demokratie leben initiative in Gewista.

Artists:
Oscar Binder, Q, 2025
Johannes Gierlinger, Every Epoch Dreams the Next, 2025
Martina Lajczak, Shout to the Top, 2020
Hannah Kaufmann, leave them alone with their own thoughts, 2020
Anna Spanlang, So, you live here #1, 2025
Julia Zastava, Ohne Titel, 2025

Concept and project management:
Claudia Kaiser, Academy | Art | Public Sphere

Jury:
Franz Solta, Managing Director Gewista
Johan Hartle, Rector
Ingeborg Erhart, Vice Rector for Art and Teaching
Barbara Horvath, Curator and Art historian, specializing in contemporary art and art in public space
Alistair Thompson, Executive Creative Director at Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann
Karin Schönhofer, Corporate Communications Gewista
Claudia Kaiser, Academy | Art | Public Sphere

Graphic design:
Beton