Vienna, May 2015 BALLGASSE 6 GALERIE PAKESCH AND THE 1980s ART SCENE Opening: Wednesday, 23 September 2015, 6.30 p.m. Exhibition venue: Wien Museum Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna Duration: 24 September 2015 - 7 February 2016 Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Press photos: www.wienmuseum.at/en/press When Peter Pakesch, a young man from Graz, started a gallery in Ballgasse in 1981, he created an artistic hotspot in what had hitherto been an inconspicuous little lane near Vienna's central square, Stephansplatz. Galerie Pakesch was the first gallery to showcase a new generation of young artists. Herbert Brandl, Otto Zitko and Josef Danner – all in their early twenties – had their first exhibitions there. As this new generation of painters emerged, art in Vienna changed tracks and headed in new directions. But not only gestural paintings in the junge Wilde style were shown at Ballgasse. Soon Neo-Geo artist Heimo Zobernig joined the Pakesch troupe, and sculptor Franz West followed suit in 1985. His exposure at Galerie Pakesch helped West, until then something of a fixture in Viennese underground circles, rise to international acclaim. Shows at the Ballgasse gallery featured major new groups of works by West, including painted sculptures, furniture and installations. International impact of the new Viennese art scene The fact that a vibrant young art scene had sprung to life in 1980s Vienna did not go unnoticed: Art magazine ran a title story on "The Art Miracle of Vienna" in 1986, and 1/1 Kunstforum dedicated a special edition to "Island Austria" in 1987. Feature articles focused on young artists shown at the galleries Pakesch, Nächst St. Stephan and Insam. The global radius of activities of these young artists was crucial for their success: While earlier generations had by and large contented themselves with local stardom, galleries in Vienna now entered a network of art fairs, worldwide collaborative projects and big international shows such as "documenta" and the Venice Biennale, working to promote West, Zitko, Zobernig and other local artists and give them a platform there. One important aspect was that Pakesch also presented major international artists in Vienna, including Cologne's shooting stars Albert Oehlen and Martin Kippenberger, who was a frequent visitor to Vienna. Soon Pakesch was also showing works by Pistoletto, Kabakov and American artists such as Sol Lewitt, Christopher Wool and Mike Kelley – the latter had his first European solo exhibition at Ballgasse 6. The Galerie Pakesch archive and major works of art At the core of the exhibition are items from the archive of Galerie Pakesch, which has been donated to Wien Museum and contains photos, posters and documentary materials that tell the stories of exhibitions and art market dealings. The archive thus provides interesting insights into the art sector in the early stages of globalisation. The exhibition also presents major works of art which were on show at Galerie Pakesch in this period, including key works by West, Brandl, Zobernig, Geiger, Lewitt, Pistoletto and Kelley. A central exhibit is a gallery table designed by Franz West, on permanent loan to the Wien Museum. Artists as musicians and new places to hang out The early 1980s art scene was closely linked to the post-punk music scene and new "in" places. Günter Damisch, Herbert Brandl, Gerwald Rockenschaub and other artists were also active as musicians, and "art bands" such as Molto Brutto performed at the U4 disco, but also at Galerie Pakesch. New pubs and clubs opened, ending the laments heard only a few years earlier that Vienna had hardly any places that were open after midnight. One section of the exhibition is dedicated to the café Alt-Wien in the centrally located Bäckerstrasse, which was something of a living room for Kippenberger's excess-prone circle of friends; other important watering holes in the city centre were the now forgotten Ring and Die Bar. The "Ballgasse 6" exhibition (the title was suggested by artist Heimo Zobernig) traces the topographic network of 1980s Vienna, in which the University of Applied Arts was among the most influential places. Oswald Oberhuber was Rector at the time, and Peter Weibel taught and juggled ideas there in addition to writing major catalogue pieces for Galerie Pakesch, including one about Herbert Brandl. 2/2 .