Think of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN as a place promoting the joys and artistry of creative photography through exhibitions, events and other activities.
- Regular international exhibitions
- Also organises the FOTO WIEN festival
- What special exhibitions are on?
- See also:
Photography hub
(The premises in the Arsenal area; press photo © Michael Seirer Photography)
For a long time, the Kunst Haus Wien carried the official torch for photography in Vienna with its excellent exhibitions (where, rather thrillingly, I got to meet renowned photographers Alec Soth and Susan Meiselas).
But the Kunst Haus was never a dedicated photographic institution, and has now switched to a focus on contemporary art and green issues.
FOTO ARSENAL WIEN now fills that photographic gap in the municipal infrastructure. March, 2025 saw the institution open permanent premises and exhibition rooms in Vienna’s Arsenal complex (hence the name).
As you might expect, this Arsenal has a military past (mostly as army barracks). It went up in the 1850s after civilians got ideas above their station in 1848; the locals had the cheek to demand (gasp!) such things as press freedom and more democratic representation.
The location’s martial legacy remains in the form of the nearby Museum of Military History, but the site also hosts various academic and cultural facilities.
This creative patch of land now includes, for example, both FOTO ARSENAL WIEN and Filmmuseum LAB. The latter forms a part of the Austrian Film Museum dedicated to film conservation, archiving, processing, digitalisation, and such like.
So, anyway, consider FOTO ARSENAL WIEN as the institutional centre of photography and lens-based media in Vienna.
Exhibitions & events
(The Magnum. A World of Photography exhibition at the opening of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN’s permanent premises; press photo © Michael Seirer Photography)
Two aspects of the work of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN should particularly interest visitors to Vienna.
- A series of top international exhibitions
I enjoyed, for example, the exhibitions for Laia Abril and Karolina Wojtas. Expect several exhibitions a year with a mix of international stars, rising talents and notable themes.
- The biannual FOTO WIEN festival previously run by the Kunst Haus
This event takes place over a month and brings us a huge and vibrant mix of photo exhibitions, talks, workshops and other events across the whole of Vienna.
Tickets, exhibitions & tips
You will need a ticket for the in-house exhibitions, which cost €10 for a standard adult at the time of writing with under 19s going in free.
Special exhibitions
The current schedule:
- Daidō Moriyama (until May 10th, 2026): a retrospective for the acclaimed Japanese photographer
- Across the Water (until May 10th, 2026): solo exhibition for Michelle Piergoelam
Next up:
- Photo Brut (May 22nd to September 6th, 2026): numerous striking works by self-taught photographers operating outside traditional academic and market influences
- Vienna Digital Cultures (May 22nd to September 6th, 2026): FOTO ARSENAL WIEN acts as the HQ for this wider festival
If your interest is specifically photography, then also consider a visit to Westlicht: a private venture with a camera museum, photo exhibition and more.
How to get there
You have various ways to reach the area and then walk through to the FOTO ARSENAL WIEN location.
Vienna’s main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) is close by on the U1 subway line (which you can catch at Stephansplatz, for example, in the centre).
If you’re coming from the centre, you can also jump on the D tram to the Alfred-Adler-Straße or Quartier Belvedere stops.
Address: Arsenalplatz, Objekt 19, 1030 Vienna | Website