anselm kiefer selected to create safety curtain artwork for the vienna state opera

Anselm Kiefer’S TAKE ON THE Safety Curtain project

German artist Anself Kiefer has been selected to create the 26th edition of the Safety Curtain at the Vienna State Opera House. Conceived by museum in progress —an immaterial laboratory exploring the future of museums— and the Vienna Opera, the Safety Curtain project is an exhibition series that, since its inception in 1998, has transformed the conventional role of safety curtains into a temporary display space for contemporary art. 

Solaris by Anselm Kiefer at Center Stage

For the 2023 iteration of the Safety Curtain project at the Vienna State Opera House (find more here), the jury featuring Daniel Birnbaum, Bice Curiger, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, has chosen German painter and sculptor, Anselm Kiefer. Kiefer unveils his work Solaris, drawing inspiration from the homonymous 1961 science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The book narrates the tale of a remote alien planet and the all-encompassing entity that inhabits it.

Spanning an expansive 176 sqm, Kiefer’s artwork is brought to life through an innovative process. The image is printed on plastic nets and affixed to the safety curtain with magnets. The work becomes a focal point not only before performances but also during intermissions and at the conclusion of each show. As the curtains rise and fall, Kiefer’s creation takes center stage, transforming the Vienna State Opera House into an immersive gallery that transcends the traditional boundaries between art and performance. Audiences have the opportunity to experience  Solaris from November 8, 2023, through the end of June 2024.

the story of the safety curtain project

project info: 

artwork name: Solaris
artist: Anselm Kiefer

exhibition name: Safety Curtain 
conceived by: museum in progress | @museuminprogress, Vienna State Opera | @wienerstaatsoper and Bundestheater-Holding
location: Vienna State Opera, Austria
dates: November 2023–June 2024