The subject of this Artistic Realization Competition was to obtain a design proposal for the artistic contextualization of the Dr. Karl Lueger-Monument in Vienna's first district.

The competition procedure was carried out as a single-stage and invited competition. The invitation to submit a concept idea went out to 15 national and international artists (and artistic groups), of whom 13 submitted competition works/concept ideas.

The thirteen-member jury with voting rights decided in favor of Klemens Wihlidal's design during the three-day jury meeting in May 2023.

Winning Design Proposal: Klemens Wihlidal – Schieflage (Karl Lueger 3,5°)

"Thirteen years ago, the University of Applied Arts Vienna initiated the questioning of the Lueger-Monument at the Stubentor with a symposium and an open competition. Klemens Wihlidal's proposal emerged as the winner from this competition. Since then, there have been lively discussions about the Lueger-Monument and the square in politics and civil society. Out of these debates emerged the competition for the artistic contextualization of the monument, which was launched by the City of Vienna.

After extensive discussions of the submitted competition entries, the jury came to the conclusion that this project proposal by Klemens Wihlidal has lost none of its relevance: his design transforms the monument into a disturbance in public space. The minimal formal irritation proves to be a strong sign in the city. The artistic proposal raises questions and keeps them open.

The sculpture is tilted by 3.5 degrees and visually loses its balance. The inclination breaks the claim of monumentality. This visual punch line opens up even without prior information and leads to a continuation of the debates.

Klemens Wihlidal's project shows how a public debate conducted over years leads to a heightened awareness in civil society. The transformation of the monument undermines the affirmative view of Lueger's politics of exclusion and his racist and anti-Semitic hate speech. The 'skew' changes perspectives on the past and present."

-- Jury Statement

"With my design, I do not want to change the existing monument, but the view and perspective on it. With the 'minimal' intervention of tilting the statue and pedestal 3.5° to the right from the viewer's perspective, the venerability is to be broken and the sincerity questioned. In doing so, I want to trigger an irritation, or even more, a moment of uncertainty that may only become noticeable upon a second look.

The tilted position is also reminiscent of a sinking ship or evokes a sense of transience and impermanence, as if one has to watch the monument just about to topple over, or at least reckon that it won't stand for much longer."

-- Klemens Wihlidal

All submitted design proposals (see gallery below) will be on display from June 19-23, 2023 at the Wiener Planungswerkstatt (Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 9, 1010 Vienna) from 2 pm to 7 pm each day.