The Concept

Opportunity, passion, will and the necessary element of chance – all of this together brings forth a vision. Space that has been standing vacant, long-standing enthusiasm for contemporary art and collecting, along with the existing space and this enthusiasm contributes to translating this vision into a mission.

For years Martin Lenikus has been collecting contemporary art and supporting various art projects. A conversation with a young art dealer who lamented the dilemma of so many young artists who were unable to afford studio space after graduating from art school prompted Martin Lenikus to create a unique vision out of a coincidental piece of information.

 “Space for artists and art in the buildings of the Lenikus group”

 The Lenikus Group gives artists free access to studio space for a limited period. Originally conceived as a form of start-up support, the program has also developed into a platform for cooperation, discourse and creative cross-fertilization within a heterogeneous community.

The initial spark for the program was a vacant apartment n Bauernmarkt 1, which in 2004 a couple of young artists shared to work in and to exchange ideas. As their work continued to develop, they organized exhibitions with friends and colleagues. There was such strong creative potential here that Martin Lenikus decided to expand his idea. And in this way this flow of creative energy began to meander through the building on Bauernmarkt 1.

Whenever spaces became free, these were soon transformed into studios for artists. Gradually the building on Bauernmarkt 9 was opened up to provide working facilities for nine artists as well as apartments for artists in residence from the Lenikus Collection and the Contemporary Concern association. This widened the spectrum of this art cluster on Bauernmarkt. Studios and exhibition spaces, like cells of an organism, the opportunity for artists to focus on their own work, exhibitions organized by curators, performances, interdisciplinary discourse, exchanges between international guests of the Lenikus Collection and the artists living in Vienna – all of this made for a platform, a network that extended beyond the borders of Austria.

The activities of the Lenikus Collection reflect the way the Lenikus Group views social responsibility and development. A space measuring about 2,000 sq.m. is made available for limited periods to be used to foster, concentrate creative potential and to design an environment which creates space for something that reaches beyond the artwork evolving here: a variable organism which duplicates the strength of each of the cells it is composed of.