Tell us more about yourself and the estate you are managing. It is the estate of the late artist Michael Vonbank, what is your connection to his work?
I grew up in Tyrol, Austria, and studied Romance Studies, German Studies, and Comparative Literature in Innsbruck. After that, I worked for several years as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Innsbruck. I also worked as a freelance journalist for print media and radio and published and edited an art magazine called Media Art. Over time, I transitioned into media-related fields and worked in communication within politics and disciplines closely related to it.
However, I have always had a deep interest in art. I had a personal connection with Michael Vonbank. When he passed away ten years ago, I began taking care of his body of work. He was a painter, draughtsman, sculptor, dramatist, and poet. Over three decades, he created a diverse and extensive body of work across various media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, video, audio, theater, poetry, and prose.
You are not only responsible for the estate but also working as a curator.
Yes, I am co-curating the exhibition “What Do You Think? Migration, Identity, and Human Rights” at SALA 1 – International Center for Contemporary Art in Rome, together with its director, Mary Angela Schroth. Angela founded SALA 1 and has been running it since the 1970s. The exhibition will open on March 6th, featuring works by Michael Vonbank on the subject of migration. Alongside his work, we will be presenting pieces by Alli Assaf, Lisl Ponger, Peter Assmann, and Kateryna Lysowenko. The exhibition will run until the end of March before moving in early April to MAM – Museum of Modern Art in Gazoldo degli Ippoliti, near Mantua. At MAM, I will be working and curating with its director, Paola Artoni.
Parallel to “What Do You Think? Migration, Identity, and Human Rights”, I am also curating the exhibition “What Do You Think? Statements about Migration and Human Rights”, opening on March 7th at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Rome. This exhibition will showcase works by twenty international contemporary artists, including Christian Ludwig Attersee, Nikita Kadan, and Elke Silvia Krystufek, as well as three Chinese artists: Gang Yang, Lyu Xiaokai, and Luo Xinzi. Lyu Xiaokai and Luo Xinzi are represented by Blue Mountain Contemporary Art (BMCA). Additional works by Mithu Sen, Sofia Cruz Rocha, Oksana Zmiyevska, and others will also be on display.
A particularly special piece in the exhibition is a collaborative work by Christian Ludwig Attersee and Michael Vonbank. Between 2005 and 2012, they created a series of twenty-six joint works titled “Das große Zweiern” (The Big Two), which was previously featured in a major museum exhibition at Museum Angerlehner in Thalheim near Wels.
Tell us more about Vonbank’s “Somewhere in Europe” series, which includes the video series “What Do You Think” (2007), the” Transformations” series of photo collages (2008), and the “Noi Romani a Roma” (2009) poster series. These works were a foundation for this year’s three group exhibitions.
In the video series “What Do You Think”, filmed in Vienna, Michael Vonbank asks residents of the host country about their attitudes toward migrants. The range of responses varies from open-minded acceptance to complete rejection. In addition to real interviewees, the work includes two fictional characters who expose either overt or subtle xenophobia. The masked interviewees represent the “voice of the people,” which is often not openly expressed.
“The richness of the country is the cultural richness, I think,” Michael Vonbank states in the video as his response. The “Transformations series” consists of collages that highlight both cultural clashes and collective societal fears and contradictions. The materials used in the collages come directly from the documentation of filming “What Do You Think”.
In 2009, Vonbank created the “Noi Romani a Roma” poster series, which questions identity by deconstructing social perception patterns based on physical attributes and reducing them to absurdity.
Managing an artist’s estate and ensuring their work remains relevant is a demanding task. What would you say are the biggest challenges?
It is a challenging job. I believe it is essential to maintain strong connections and to be present in ongoing conversations. Constant dialogue with people is crucial. While I work closely with existing collectors of Vonbank’s work, I am always seeking to establish new relationships with galleries, curators, and institutions. Networking is vital in a role like this.
There is always something to do—so many ideas exist, but they often have to wait for the right moment to be realized.
Vonbank’s work continues to find ways to remain alive. For example, a collaborative piece— a curtain featuring a printed photograph of Vonbank’s studio doors—is currently on display in Elke Silvia Krystufek’s solo exhibition “Makes the World Go Round” at Gallery Croy Nielsen. This exhibition runs until March 15th, 2025.
Is it possible to visit the estate and the space where Vonbank’s studio once was?
The space now serves primarily as storage for many many of Michael’s works, but it remains a testament to his practice—especially the walls, where he collected his thoughts and ideas. Yes, visits can be arranged by appointment for those interested in seeing the space.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Migration, identity, human rights curated by Mary Angela Schroth & Beate Sprenger
Location: SALA 1. International center of contemporary art, ROMA
P.za di S. Giovanni in Laterano 10, 00185 Roma, Italy
Opening: 6.3.2025, 6 pm
Duration of the exhibition: 7.3. – 29.3.2025
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Statements about migration and human rights curated by Beate Sprenger
Location: Forum Austriaco di Cultura Roma
Viale Bruno Buozzi 113, 00197 Roma, Italy
Opening: 7.3.2025, 6 pm
Duration of the exhibition: 8.3. – 28.3.2025
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Migration, identity, human rights curated by Paola Artoni & Beate Sprenger
Location: MAM – MUSEO D’ARTE MODERNA, GAZOLDO DEGLI IPPOLITI
Villa Ippoliti via Marconi 126, Gazoldo degli Ippoliti, Italy
Opening: 4.4.2025, 6 pm
Duration of the exhibition: 5.4. – 4.5.2025
Estate Michael Vonbank – www.michaelvonbank.at, www.instagram.com/michael_vonbank_estate/
Michael Vonbank (1964-2015, Austria) was a painter, draughtsman, sculptor, and writer. In his art, Michael Vonbank focuses on uncovering and reflecting on “counterworlds” that coexist in the same context and regularly collide. These worlds can be of an individual or psychological nature, but also social or cultural.
