Leopold Kessler

The Wien Museum is dedicating a comprehensive mid-career survey at musa to Vienna-based artist Leopold Kessler (born in Munich in 1976) – the largest exhibition of his work in Austria to date.

Kessler is famous for his subtle, often unauthorized interventions in public spaces and for interactive machines that conceal themselves behind the aesthetics of urban furniture. His work Nordbahnzeh, installed in Rudolf-Bednar-Park in 2022 — an oversized pink toe with a steadily growing nail that could be cut by passersby – has long since become a local icon.

With his precise interventions in urban infrastructure – always with a critical eye on the collective and privatized use of public space – Kessler has been internationally present for 20 years. He first attracted attention in Vienna in 2004 with his “Akademiekabel,” a bright orange power cord that ran across Vienna and connected his apartment to an outlet at the Academy of Fine Arts.

The exhibition “Leopold Kessler. Works in Public Space” not only presents his best-known works, but also provides insight into his early sculptural efforts along with the conceptual groundwork underlying his projects.

Curator: Vincent Weisl

Exhibition design: Franz Kapfer, Grafisches Büro

Barrier-free Folder