The Grafenegg castle grounds, revitalised in 2008, are a prime example of the development of the European landscape park. The first garden in Grafenegg was a strictly geometric baroque star garden to the west of the castle, and was created in the mid-17th century together with a magnificent avenue of lime trees. The second decisive trend – the English park – however, was only implemented in a historicising style in the mid-19th century. The grounds as visitors find them today stem from this period and are marked by the attempt to make the park landscape look like it was grown naturally and to make the artificial intervention appear elemental. It was at that time that the castle grounds were converted into an arboretum.
In the past few years, the tradition of the grounds has been brought to the present. A new place for art and culture has been created which is open to the public. Apart from the Wolkenturm built by «the next ENTERprise», eight outdoor sculptures have been erected in cooperation with Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Niederösterreich and the Grafenegg Kulturbetriebsges.m.b.H.
Set against the backdrop of Grafenegg Castle, one of the most important historicist buildings in Austria, a total of eight artists were invited by the jury of Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Niederösterreich to critically examine the role attributed to art in staging and representing. In May 2017, the art ensemble was completed by three new temporary objects.
Current objects
Flaka Haliti Manufactured for the purpose of fainting (after screaming), 2020
Manfred Pernice «Tür und Tor», 2010
Little Warsaw Balance Capsule, 2008
Bethan Huws «Perroquets» Porte-manteaux (3-teilig), 2008
Werner Feiersinger Ohne Titel [untitled], 2008
Catrin Bolt Video projection, 2008
Mark Dion Buchsdom Tower, 2007
Temporary objects
Marjetica Potrc Drinking Water, 2009
Maider Lopez Mountain, 2013
Simon Faithfull «Earth-Spin no.1: Grafenegg», (temporary, 2017)
Elisabeth Penker «Composition With One Twisted Tone», (temporary, 2017)
Franz Kapfer «Mein Drama findet nicht mehr statt, # Akt 1–3», 3 installations, (temporary, 2017)
Akkordeon stop
