Just south of Graz lies the Austrian Sculpture Park, a site where art and landscape meet. With over 80 sculptures scattered across hills and meadows, it offers a contemplative experience influenced by the weather, your walking habits and cheeky birds watching you.
Austrian Sculpture Park
The Austrian Sculpture Park (Österreichischer Skulpturenpark), situated near Unterpremstätten on the site of a former International Garden Show, offers a unique interplay between contemporary sculptures and its natural surroundings.
Established in 2003 and operated by the Universalmuseum Joanneum, the park extends across a landscaped terrain designed by Swiss architect Dieter Kienast for the garden show. Wide meadows, rolling hills, and geometric garden elements serve as a backdrop to works by international and Austrian artists.
Open Air vs. White Cube
Unlike the neutral environment of a white cube gallery, open-air presentations, such as the Austrian Sculpture Park, foreground the interaction between artwork and its setting. Weather, light, and the changing seasons influence how sculptures are perceived.
There is no climate control, no artificial lighting, and no fixed perspective. This unpredictability introduces variables that often become part of the work’s experience. In contrast, white cube exhibitions prioritise isolation and consistency, placing emphasis on the object itself, stripped of context.
Outdoors, meaning becomes relational: a sculpture’s position relative to a hill, a tree, or the viewer’s path alters its presence. Probably the best example of the advantages of an open-air installation is an artwork by Peter Weibel. It shows a huge handle stating the globe is just a big suitcase with its handle here, south of Graz.