Think of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN as a place promoting the joys and artistry of creative photography through exhibitions, events and other activities.
- Opens at its own premises March 21st, 2025
- Expect regular international exhibitions
- Also organises the FOTO WIEN festival
- What special exhibitions are on?
- See also:
Photography hub
(The temporary premises in the MuseumsQuartier)
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 Alec Soth and Susan Meiselas).
But the Kunst Haus was never a dedicated photographic institution, given its wide range of other interests and activities.
FOTO ARSENAL WIEN now fills that gap in the municipal infrastructure. March 21st, 2025 sees the institution open its new permanent premises and exhibition rooms in the Arsenal complex (hence the name).
As the name suggest, this Arsenal has a military past (mostly army barracks). They built it in the 1850s as one reaction to the civilians getting ideas above their station in 1848; the locals had the temerity to demand (gasp!) such things as press freedom and more democratic representation.
The location’s martial past remains, for example, in the form of the Museum of Military History, but the site also hosts various academic and cultural facilities.
One such institution is the state-owned ART for ART complex, which supports opera houses, theatres, film companies and similar though costume and set production and other services.
This creative patch of land now includes both FOTO ARSENAL WIEN and Filmmuseum LAB. The latter forms part of the Austrian Film Museum and will be 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
(Previous exhibitions at the institution’s temporary home in the MQ)
Two aspects of the work of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN should particularly interest visitors to Vienna.
- A series of top international exhibitions
Until now, these were held in the MuseumsQuartier. I enjoyed, for example, the exhibitions for Laia Abril and Karolina Wojtas.
Expect around 12 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 exhibitions, and I’ll add details once they start up in the new location.
Special exhibitions
The current schedule:
- Magnum. A World of Photography (March 22nd to June 1st, 2025): a look behind the scenes of the world of agency photography using the example of the most iconic example. Reveals distribution and archival processes with, for example, numerous illustrative items (and vintage photos)
- Simon Lehner. Clean Thoughts. Clean Images (March 22nd to June 1st, 2025): solo exhibition for the young photographer
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
I’ll add these details once the institution reopens in its permanent home.
Address: Arsenalplatz, Objekt 19, 1030 Vienna (from March 31st, 2025) | Website