There’s a certain joy to be had when form and function combine in a manifestation of creativity. In other words, who doesn’t like a well-designed product? And the Blickfang design fair is full of them.
- International fair featuring independent designers
- Wide variety of products to see, discuss, and buy
- Hosted at the MAK Museum
- 2023 dates: Oct 20-22
- See also:
Showcase & shopping
(Press photo © Dominik Geiger)
Vienna’s relationship to design has not been without creative conflict. Especially around the early 20th century, when the likes of Wagner, Hoffman and Loos sought to lead Austria away from the excesses and banality of the past. But then I studied biology, so don’t take my word for it.
Anyway, excellent and innovative design is no stranger to the city, making Vienna a suitable Austrian host for the annual Blickfang design fair on the premises of the central MAK museum.
Vienna forms just one tasty alternative in Blickfang’s menu of design events, with similar fairs in Switzerland and Germany. They also run an international shopping platform featuring independent designers.
We’re talking broad perspectives, an eye for quality, and more than a hint of sustainable practices. And the Blickfang fair reflects these characteristics.
Standards are high: exhibitors must convince a specialist jury of their worth, much like the concept applied to Vienna’s Karlsplatz Christmas Market.
(The MAK museum provides the venue for Blickfang)
The result is an event full of unique, quality, and rare items (all of which you can also buy, incidentally): fashion, home accessories, jewelry, furniture, and more….I found everything from flower pot holders to cribs and fine art wallpaper on my 2022 visit.
Many designers are themselves on hand to explain their products and philosophies to you.
Frankly, Blickfang already had me convinced at the entrance, thanks to the exquisite chocolate designs of ChocoMe.
Two floors then followed, each with bright, open galleries and dozens of stands, all exuding a sense of style sadly not shared by this unkempt writer. (And prices that had my wallet clenching in concern, if I’m honest.)
I’ll admit to a particular fondness for timber products. For example, the quite beautiful Cutting Brothers 3D wooden maps or the solid oak custom drinks cabinet built by WOOD 4 EVER. Though a special mention also goes to the mesmerising artwork and kinetic drawing machines of Robert Balke.
A home of design
The location could not be more apt.
Vienna’s MAK museum enjoys the full title of the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art. Design is a huge component of that description, with a Design Lab permanent exhibition, for example, and areas dedicated to the Wiener Werkstätte.
For the record, the MAK is one of my favourite museums; their exhibitions usually delight and inform in equal measure. So consider a double dose of design inspiration by visiting Blickfang and then the actual MAK museum.
2023 dates and tickets
The next Blickfang in Vienna is scheduled for October 20th to 22nd. Opening times are:
- Midday to 8pm (Friday)
- 10am to 8pm (Saturday)
- 10am to 6pm (Sunday)
Find details, tickets (and ticket info) on the Blickfang website, once available.
How to get to Blickfang
Simply follow the travel tips at the bottom of the MAK overview. It’s a particularly central location on the Ringstrassen that form the edge of Vienna’s old town centre. The nearest subway and tram stations (Stubentor) are right opposite the main MAK museum entrance.
Address: MAK Exhibition Hall, Weiskirchnerstraße 3 , 1010 Vienna