Renger van den Heuvel of viennacontemporary on what makes his adopted city so special
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Viennacontemporary is an art fair that is pretty different from the high-speed jazzy acts in New York, London, Paris or Miami. That’s because of the unique character of the city of Vienna that is big and classy yet slow enough for a creative soul to connecRenger van den Heuvel of viennacontemporary on what makes his adopted city so special
Viennacontemporary is an art fair that is pretty different from the high-speed jazzy acts in New York, London, Paris or Miami. That’s because of the unique character of the city of Vienna that is big and classy yet slow enough for a creative soul to connect with his inner self.Renger van den Heuvel, Managing Director of the fair, has discovered the wonders of Vienna ever since he moved to this city less than a decade ago, and shares what he likes about the city in this interview with BLOUIN ARTINFO.What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming edition of viennacontemporary?This year, I am especially looking forward to the Special Projects: Focus Armenia and Invisible Museum – a project organized by tranzit.sk and initiated by the artist Oto Hudec. It features his vision of a Roma culture museum. In terms of the process, I like the build-up days when the galleries arrive, install their booths, and hang the art works. You feel how much effort and passion galleries bring in. The mood for the fair is actually set in those days.How has viennacontemporary shaped up since you took over as Managing Director of the fair? Has it shaped up the way you had envisaged?From the beginning, Christina and I focussed on increasing the quality, developing a high level of service for collectors and exhibitors and embedding the fair in the great context of Vienna as a cultural destination. And so far so good. It is a rewarding feeling to receive positive feedback from Viennese galleries, who are now more proud than ever of the fair and embracing its internationality.Do you have anything specific roadmap in mind for viennacontemporary to follow in near future?We keep focussing on our strengths. At the same time the market is changing, it will be tougher for fairs and galleries – we are not immune to that. We have to keep re-inventing the concept. Vienna is in a good position to remain a safe haven for galleries. For young and upcoming galleries especially from Central and Eastern Europe, the fair will remain the first touchpoint with the international market and audiences. On top of that we have to develop new ways of servicing the galleries, not only in these five days of the fair, but also during the year.How does the art scene in Vienna compare to that in other European capitals and what makes it unique? Vienna has this strange mix of being local and international at the same time. There is the grandeur of the past, with art history under our fingertips; at the same it is a very good place to live now, in the present. It depends what you need as an artist: a place where you can easily feel yourself at home and concentrate on your work, or that you need to be living on a stronge pulse, in a hectic surrounding like Moscow, where life is tougher and in itself more challenging.It has been less than 10 years since you moved to Vienna. How comfortable do you feel here and what do you like best about the city? Could you compare it with the city that you originally belong to?I am Dutch and lived most of my life in Amsterdam. It is home because of the language, a ride on your bike along the canals and the presence of long time friends. But Vienna is an easier place to live in. It is wide, clean, transport is great (do not have a car, hardly use my bike), people know how to enjoy life. The thing I deeply miss is the proximity of the sea.What is your favourite time of the year to enjoy the city of Vienna and why? Spring and autumn when the sun simply is brighter. Summer can be easily too hot, and the winter period can be quite gray.Given your recent residence in Vienna, you have an insider’s as well as an outsider’s perspective on the city. In this context, what do you think is the most defining feature of the city?In the end it is its internationality. I see it at the school of our daughter where more than 50% of children are of foreign origin (and it is not an international school). I hear it in the public transport. This is by definition a place where people from different countries, different religions, different cultures live together.In an interview last year, you had mentioned that you felt “Eastern Europe was actually present in Vienna.” Why do think that is the case?The easy answer is: geography. When you look at the map – Vienna is located behind Berlin and Prague. You may not sense Eastern Europe in the first district of the city, but once you pass the Ring and even more the Gurtel (sort of second ring) it is simply there, not just a few shops, but the entire whole streets, the people, the languages, the markets.Could you recommend some iconic Viennese landmarks — touristy or non-touristy — that one must visit if they are on a short trip?Take line D to Nußdorf and walk through the wineries, look back and you have a great view on the city, split by the Danube river. Or go to Baumgartnerhohe where the Otto Wagner hospital is.Vienna is a city rich with cultural heritage. Which is your favourite heritage venue of the city that would definitely want to take your guests to? Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. It remains overwhelming. And the Otto Wagner hospital is also a location that plays a key role in the work of Thomas Bernhard.Can you recommend some of your favourite restaurants in the city that the visitors must try out? Skopik & Lohn in the 2nd district. Schnitzel or any of the other dishes. Food and service are excellent. I always send visiting friends there.What would you do if you had a free morning or afternoon in Vienna? In summer, I definitely go swimming early mornings in the outside pool of Schonbrunn, including a stroll through the park – before the tourists take over. Or go to my partner in film Paul Krimmer in the 15th district and make film plans.Where would you dash off to for a quick coffee and/ or snack?Around the 1st district center, there are quarters that are almost like villages. I live in the 8th and our office is in the 7th, so I get my coffee either at Espresso, Ulrich, Burggasse 24 or Hornig.Where in the city would you go to catch up on a book or to catch up with a friend?For reading I often take a tram or metro line and go to back and forth. With friends, we go to the places mentioned below or to a Kaffeehaus like Cafe Braunerhof. Most frequented restaurant around the corner is Victus & Millie.What are the best bars in the city to hang out at?Loos Bar, Bonbonniere, Celeste, Elektro Gonner, Die Parfumerie.How would you describe the city’s night life? And where should one go to best enjoy it?That’s a tough one. I lived in Moscow in the 90s and everything after that seems quiet. If it gets late, we end up in the last bar open, often then Futuregarden.What are your favourite theatres to check out new plays and other live performances?Volkstheater, Theater an der Wien, Akademietheater.Do you have a favourite book on Vienna? What is so good about it?An Equal Music by Vikram Seth; it is a classic novel on love and coming of age.You are also a filmmaker. What are you currently working on? And do you have any film in mind where you would like to play on Vienna as a character/ subject? I am finalizing my trilogy on the Dutch cult writer Geerten Meijsing. As for Vienna as a backdrop, I would like to follow some people that get out of the bus, tram or metro at the last stop at the edge of the city, and how they move on into the woods, the hills or the fields. In a city you can hide yourself. But where do they go?Where would you advise visitors to go shopping?Go into the quarters (numbered 2 – 9) just outside the center. There you will find many small shops. And there is much more craftmanship left in Vienna, compared to, for example, in Amsterdam.What are the best places to buy art in Vienna?The Viennese Contemporary art galleries, as you can find most of them in the city center, around Eschenbachgasse and Schleifmuhlgasse.What’s the best souvenir to take away from Vienna? And the best places to buy it?Austrian wine. Much better than I expected when we moved here in 2012. You can buy wine at so called Heurigen at the edge of the city. If traveling with hand luggage only, just do it at the airport.What museums or galleries you would recommend one must definitely visit in the city, even if short on time?Museums Quartier as you can basically choose from classic to Contemporary, and Secession. If I can one mention one gallery it would be Georgl Kargl Fine Arts as a homage to Georg Kargl who unfortunately passed away earlier this year. He and many art dealer colleague in Vienna laid many years ago the foundation of the Contemporary art scene in Vienna as it is today.Anything unusual or any hidden surprises about Vienna that you have discovered yourself, something that a guide book does not mention?Vienna has great inner courts, very often hidden. Slip through the heavy door after someone comes out and the door is not closed yet.If you were to have one Vienna photo as a display pic on any device/ social media account, what would that be?A picture shot from the hill, where Villa Aurora is, in the 19th district. Then you realize this is a huge city.www.blouinartinfo.comFounder: Louise Blouin Read more