about us
philomena+ connects artists and architects from the WANA region (West Asia and North Africa) with the local art community in Vienna and vice versa. The main purpose is to provide a platform for artists, intellectuals, researchers and the civil society for dialoguing, questioning, creating and building future collaborations.
In addition philomena+ seeks to work with artists and architects, who originate from the WANA region, and have recently settled in Vienna or in Austria. philomena+ offers a first point of contact and support to find their feet in the new environment.
Rather than focusing on a type art which centres around objects, philomena+ promotes art which focuses on individuals and life.
Christine Bruckbauer
co-founder, director and co-curator of the visual art programme
Christine Bruckbauer is a curator, art writer and university lecturer with a research focus on contemporary art practices in North Africa, South and West Asia. With a sociological approach of art observation and an interest in transnational and postcolonial cultural-political developments she is dedicated to commissioning artists to explore the possibilities of engaging aesthetical, social or political dialogues in different contexts.
Negar Hakim
co-founder, curator, director of the architecture programme
Negar Hakim studied art history at the University of Vienna. She is on the editorial board of Memar Magazine and Kunst und Kirche and has acted as co-editor of several other art and architecture magazines in the Middle East. Hakim does intercultural consulting in art and architecture between Europe and Iran. She organises transregional workshops, seminars and study trips, and has been a jury member for various architectural competitions. Currently she is also a Univ. Ass. (lecturer) at the TU Wien, with a focus on non-European architecture.
Aline Lenzhofer
co-curator of the visual arts programme
Currently based in Vienna, Aline is a curator, cultural worker and communication manager with a focus on collaborative projects and on artistic practices from the WANA region and beyond. With a background in cultural and social anthropology and a degree in cultural management, Aline has worked with different cultural institutions in Morocco, Egypt and France.
Abdulrab Habibyar
photo and video documentation
Born in Afghanistan, Abdulrab Habibyar came to Vienna in 2015 under the KulturKontakt Austria artist-in-residence programme and currently works as a Refugee Care Specialist at BBU GmbH Traiskirchen. With a degree in information technology, a diploma in photography and in Skill & Diversity, he also works as a freelance photographer, human rights activist and translator. His photographic work has been shown at several solo and group exhibitions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy and Austria.
further team members
Toqa Eissa (since 2023), Paola Boscaini (2023), Shirin Idais (2023), Leopold Enzendorfer (since 2023), Azadeh Hariri (since 2022),Sam Bojoghli (since 2021), Valeria Meneghelli (Sep. 2021), Alexander Meurer (2021-2022), Juliane Harder (2021), Alicia Frank (2021), Hannah Fally (since 2020), Christina Winkler (since 2020), Chinara Majidova (2020), Bárbara Palomino–Ruiz (since 2020), Monika Mairhofer (2019), Daniel Marina (2019)
artists
Alaa Abu Asad, Mustapha Akrim, Zaynab Abubakr, Chakor Alami Karim, Jihad Al-khattib, Mohamed Allam, Mai Al Shazly, Fatma Alshikhy, Parisa Aminolahi, Sanae Arraqas, Joerg Auzinger, Fatih Aydoğdu, Lital Bar Noy, Sahar Bardie, Michael Baumgartner, Handous Belhassen, Aahd Benchaouch, Zakaria Benchekroun, Yasmine Belhassen, Walid Ben Ghezala, Fatima Zahra Benhamza, Yesmine Ben Khelil, Mohammed Boshnaf, Tanja Boukal, Kati Bruder, Georgia Creimer, Oscar Cueto, Ramesch Daha, Mariama Nzinga Diallo, Alina d’Alva Duchrow, Armin Mohsen Daneshgar, Omid Darvish, Nava Ebrahimi, Jeannette Ehlers, Sarri Elfaitouri, Abdessamad El Montassir, Raghd Elshaheibi, Fariba Farghadani, Ali Akbar Farzadi, Mounir Fatmi, Enrico Floriddia, Milad Forouzandeh, Robert Frittum, Fanni Futterknecht, Petra Gell, Souheila Ghorbel, Wassim Ghozlani, Helene Glüxam, Malek Gnaoui, Lisa Großkopf, Johanna Magdalena Guggenberger, Abdulrab Habibyar, Azadeh Hariri, Mohsen Hazrati, Sarvin Hazin, Markus Hiesleitner, Markus Hofer, Christine und Irene Hohenbüchler, Thalia Hoffman, Payman Hooshmandzadeh, Ahoo Maher, Minoo Iranpour Mobarakeh, Simon Inou, Orit Ishay, Emanuel Jesse, Soukaina Joual, Nouhaila Karroum, Seba Kayan, Baharak Keshani, Farah Khelil, Max Klimburg, Margareta Klose, Vanja Krajnc, Raphael Kajetan Krottenauer, Patricia K.Triki, Hela Lamine, Holger Lang, Mohammed Laouli, Claudia Larcher, Johann Leitner, Thaer Maarouf, Nourhan Maayouf, Souad Mani, Nama Masoud, Veronika Merklein, Ernst Miesgang, Etemad Moghaddam, Marzieh Mohammadmiri, Engy Mohsen, Vitória Monteiro, Ryts Monet, Mahroo Movahedi, Karam Natour, Mara Niang, Yoshinori Niwa, Bárbara Palomino Ruiz, Kid Pex, Manuela Picallo Gil, Lisl Ponger, Hosna Pourhashemi, Ursula Maria Probst, Anahita Razmi, Ayan Rezaei, Mehran Rezagholi, Elma Riza, Shiri Rozenberg, Chris Saint Martin, Sepehr Samadian, Edith Sandhofer-Malli, Nabil Saouabi, Tomash Schoiswohl, Lena Schwingshandl, Lerato Shadi, Aida Shayegani, Naja Shokri, Huda Takriti, Patrick Timm, Kosta Tonev, Transcultural Emancipation Collective, Martina Tritthart, Rania Werda, Christina Werner, Katarzyna Winiecka, Wolfgang Wirth, Bassem Yousri, Sula Zimmerberger, Férielle Zouari
partners
funders
Federal Ministry Republic of Austria Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
Federal Ministry Republic of Austria European and International Affairs
Cultural Commission of the 2nd District in Vienna
Basis Kultur Wien
OeAD – Agency for Education and Internationalisation
i-Portunus, Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
All Around Cultures, co-funded by the European Union
Culture Moves Europe – Culture and Creativity – European Union
collaborators
Le Cube, Rabat since 2017
La Boîte, Tunis since 2018
Flucc, Vienna since 2019
Independent Space Index, since 2019
Austrian Cultural Forum, Cairo since 2020
Salam Orient, Vienna since 2020
Sumac Space – Art Practices of the Middle East, Digital platform 2021
other partners, with whom philomena+ cooperated in the past
SOS Balkanroute, Afrique-Europe-Interact, Border Studies Sousse, Alarmphone Sahara, Rotlichtfestival, All Around Culture, Tajarrod Architecture and Art Foundation Bengazhi, Caritas–Stand 129, Belvedere 21, Domestic Abuse Intervention Centre Vienna, Kupferstichkabinett – A…kademie der bildenden Künste Wien, Hernalser Gymnasium Geblergasse, Jugendtreff Alte Fabrik, Café Else, Al Balad Art Residency Jeddah, , piramidops, das weisse haus, kültür gemma!, brunnenpassage, Weltmuseum Wien, Central European University, Universität Wien – Institut für Kunstgeschichte, QWien, 12-14 contemporary, Question me & answer, Embassy of Tunisia in Vienna, WUK, Foto Wien, Vienna Art Week, Parallel Vienna, Grätzloase, KulturKontakt Wien, ÖBB, ÖAW, Institut Français Vienne, TU Wien, Eternit, A…kademie der bildenden Künste Wien, Hotel Wien, Gasthaus Hansy, Hinterland
project room
The project room philomena+, situated right next to Praterstern, gives the platform a physical home where face-to-face encounters can take place.
artist residencies
+ Combined living accommodation/artist studio/exhibition space, equipped with cooking facilities and Wi-Fi
+ an official invitation for grant and visa application purposes
+ PR activities (announcement on Social Media), contacts to the local art community, exhibition space
If you are interested in participating in a project, please send your application (CV, project description, availability) to: info@philomena.plus
Note: Your application will go through a selection process, and you will be notified if your application has been successful.