WHAT IS INFRASTRUCTURAL CRITIQUE?

A conference in celebration of the life and work of Marina Vishmidt

The conference What is Infrastructural Critique? will feature artists, critical theorists and collaborators with Marina, who will come together to think through Marina’s concept of infrastructural critique, a materialist approach to the infrastructures of contemporary art oriented towards aesthetics and political struggle in all of its interconnected modes and scales. Themes of discussion will include: infrastructural critique and ecology, infrastructural critique vs. institutional critique, art and political economy, art and logistics, the politics of abolition in contemporary art, infrastructural critique and music and the relationship of infrastructure to race.

With talks and presentations by
Marwa Arsanios, Hannah Black, Maria Bussmann, Helmut Draxler, Rose-Anne Gush, Danny Hayward, Angela Melitopoulos + Kerstin Schroedinger, Taylor Le Melle Mattin, Andreas Petrossiants, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Robert Schlicht + Romana Schmalisch, Kerstin Stakemeier, Alberto Toscano

Marina was Professor of Art Theory at the Angewandte between October 2023 and April 2024.
The event will begin with a talk on the forthcoming book Infrastructural Critique: Contemporary Art Between Reproduction and Abolition, forthcoming with Verso in 2026.

Overview times of the conference

29.10, 18-20.00

30.10, 10.30-18.30

31.10, 10.30-18.30

Detailed schedule

Wednesday 29th
18-20.00
Danny Hayward

Thursday 30th
10.30.-13.30
Natascha Sadr Haghighian
Rose-Anne Gush
Helmut Draxler

14.30-16.00
Taylor Le Melle
Marwa Arsanios

16.30-18.00
Maria Bussmann
Angela Melitopoulos und Kerstin Schroedinger

Friday 31st
10.30-13.30
Robert Schlicht und Romana Schmalisch
Hannah Black
Andreas Petrossiants

14.30-16.00
Kerstin Stakemeier
Mattin

16.30-17.15
Alberto Toscano (online)

17.15- 19.00
Summary discussion

The conference is curated by Danny Hayward and Rose-Anne Gush, and organized by Sofia Bempeza, Rose-Anne Gush, Danny Hayward, Annette Krauss.

Moderations by: Alexi Kukuljevic, Amanda Holmes, Annette Krauss, Danny Hayward, Jenni Tischer, Nanna Heidenreich, Sofia Bempeza

Hosted by the department Art and Communication Practices, Institute of Studies in Art and Art Education, University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Registration
Register by 20 October: infrastructural_critique@uni-ak.ac.at

Symposium

Conference

29. October 2025 - 31. October 2025

Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, Auditorium, VZA, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 7, 1030 Wien

Downloads

Poster Infrastructural Critique

Courses Online (Base)