CONFERENCE – WHAT IS INFRASTRUCTURAL CRITIQUE?

A celebration of the life and work of Marina Vishmidt

WED–FRI, October 29–31, 2025
Universität für angewandte Kunst
Vordere Zollamtstraße 7, 1030 Wien
Auditorium, EG / Ground Floor

The conference What is Infrastructural Critique? featured artists, critical theorists and collaborators with Marina Vishmidt, who came together to think through Vishmidt’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 did 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.

Marina Vishmidt was Professor of Art Theory at the Angewandte between October 2023 and April 2024.

The conference is curated by
Danny Hayward and Rose-Anne Gush, and organized by Sofia Bempeza, Rose-Anne Gush, Danny Hayward, Annette Krauss.
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
Moderations by
Alexi Kukuljevic, Amanda Holmes, Annette Krauss, Danny Hayward, 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/ part of Dirty Pink Waters of Collectivity

FORTHCOMING PUBLICTION
Infrastructural Critique: Contemporary Art Between Reproduction and Abolition, forthcoming with Verso in 2026.

Thank you for your generous support

Student assistants
Meret Caderas, James Elsey, Claudia Florentina Marija Jančić, Valentina Santner, Anna Schoissengeyer, Ronja Wolf
Technicians and videographers
Fine Freiberg, Tatia Skhirtladze, Thomas Mitterböck, Maximiliam Maitz
Administration, Facility, and Event Management
All contributing colleagues, and especially Martina Dragschitz, Alexandra Frank, Shirley Thurner, and the colleagues at the departments of the Institute of Studies in Art and Art Education.

PROGRAM

WED 29.10: 18-20.00
THU 30.10: 10.30-18.30
FRI 31.10 10.30-18.30

Wednesday 29th

18-20.00
Welcome: Sofia Bempeza and Annette Krauss (dep. Art and Communication Practices)
Opening of the conference: Vice Rector Brigitte Felderer
Keynote: Danny Hayward ‘We are here and we are in it’,
moderated by Annette Krauss

Thursday 30th

10.30.-13.30
Welcome: Annette Krauss
Natascha Sadr Haghighian ‘flames to dust’
Rose-Anne Gush ‘Figures of Entropy as Anchors of Value’
Helmut Draxler ‘Institution, Infrastructure, or Critique? Reconstructing the lines of conflict’
Moderated by Sofia Bempeza

14.30-16.00
Taylor Le Melle
Marwa Arsanios ‘Reading Marina Vishmidt in Beirut: A conversation that did not happen yet had happened long ago’
Moderated by Nanna Heidenreich

16.30-18.00
Maria Bussmann ‘take a virtual tour: thoughts and images for Marina’
Angela Melitopoulos und Kerstin Schroedinger ‘Being Moved: Infrastructures of Denial’
Moderated by Rose-Anne Gush

Friday 31st

10.30-13.30
Welcome: Sofia Bempeza
Robert Schlicht und Romana Schmalisch ‘Talking the enemy’s language’
Hannah Black
Andreas Petrossiants
Moderated by Amanda Holmes

14.30-16.00
Kerstin Stakemeier ‘The Popular Front of Disalienation. On Infrastructural Sense/s’
Mattin ‘Noise in the Gaps’
Moderated by Alexi Kukuljevic

16.30-17.15
Alberto Toscano (online) ‘This World We Must End’
Moderated by Danny Hayward

17.15- 19.00
Summary discussion
Moderated by Annette Krauss and Sofia Bempeza

Registration

The auditorium is barrier-free and has an inductive hearing system. Further information:here.
Lectures and presentations will be available online after the event.