I don’t have the typical touristy material people share from Vienna, but that’s hardly a loss – we already have thousands of such Worldmappin pins. It results from meeting with locals rather than roaming the city as a tourist. Still, I captured a few snapshots of street art, both official and unofficial, that caught my eye. Vienna is, after all, a city of artists. While it’s usually associated with music, let’s set aside performing arts and the museum hub in Museumsquartier – that would be a bit too predictable. Ready?
Sunbeam, what a cliché! A distant Sun with a massive ray shining down to Earth. However, the water droplets steal the thunder, at least to me, as the statue points out the two elements that enabled abiogenesis in the first place. A night shot of this installation adds a certain mood, placing the sun into space darkness with scattered stars around. And though it’s just a lack of photographic skill, the reflection of light from a nearby lamp might resemble the Milky Way. This 30-meter-tall statue wouldn’t feel right in the historic center of Vienna, but it fits well in Donaustadt, one of the city’s newer districts.
The Kaiserschild Walls of Vision project invites street artists to reinterpret old paintings. I wouldn’t have known about it if I hadn’t stumbled upon this mural, which drew me in with its naïve yet playful take on Dutch Golden Age painting, specifically Jan Miense Molenaer. Since there’s no place for chiaroscuro in the era of electric light anymore, even the room behind the door is brightly lit, making the scene feel flat and perspective-less. Fortunately, the characters add the perception of depth. The objects clearly refer to the Dutch School and bring in several puns, like the advertisement-like staged avocado.
Yet, the overall tone isn’t cheerful; the peasants appear detached from each other, with only the central couple really engaging with anyone else. If this were a photograph rather than a staged painting, you might say no one’s genuinely having fun. Is this on purpose, or just an attempt to mimic the style of the old masters, only with all figures in the spotlight?
Not all street art is contemporary. This statue, located on the rear wall of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, or Stephansdom, in the heart of Vienna, is officially titled Man of Pain, though no real Viennese calls it that. Legend has it that this statue was once adorned with flowers and blossoms attached to Christ's head by gauze. Late one night, three drunkards, freshly kicked out of the last open tavern, mocked the statue, remarking that Jesus looked like he had a toothache. The next day, all three suffered excruciating toothaches that didn’t stop until they begged for forgiveness in the cathedral. It seems the Viennese trust their dentists enough to stick with the nickname!
While “Christ with a Toothache” has its niche on the cathedral wall at least, the Holy Trinity Column commemorating the plague in Favoriten now overlooks parked cars. I don’t have much to say about it; I just found it amusing to see how the city has grown around it and absorbed it.
Just a few meters from the iconic Memorial Against War and Fascism; and a stone’s throw from the Albertina, you’ll find this unassuming cross. Although it’s seen better days and looks neglected, you can still make out the message if you look closely. It also commemorates war victims. Moreover, it once served as guerrilla marketing for a gallery that likely shut down around seven years ago. So now, it’s essentially an unintended double memorial. I find the irony humorous.
Guerrilla gardening is a common type of street art across European cities, including Vienna. Some efforts are elaborate, like the one in Favoriten, while others, like the one near the university, are simpler. Still, it’s nice to see people stepping into a gardener’s shoes!
