Vandalism of the KUB Billboards
Further information for editorial offices:
Kunsthaus Bregenz
Martina Feurstein
m.feurstein@kunsthaus-bregenz.at
+43-664-9111 433
KUB Billboards Anne Imhof - Wish You Were Gay on Seestraße in Bregenz violently destroyed
Bregenz, July 23, 2024—In the night of July 23 the KUB Billboards on Seestraße in Bregenz were deliberately destroyed in an act of vandalism. The six surfaces designed by Anne Imhof on Bregenz’s Seestraße, the city’s most frequented street, have been a permanent feature of KUB’s program since 1997. They extend each current KUB exhibition into public space and have displayed the work of such renowned artists as Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Miriam Cahn, Gilbert & George, and VALIE EXPORT. Works by the German artist Anne Imhof have been on view since June 8.
The damage was discovered early in the morning by Bregenz Mayor Michael Ritsch. The Kunsthaus Bregenz staff and Director Thomas D. Trummer responded with dismay: “That is a cowardly attack on art and on human rights. Homophobia has no place in our society,” remarked Thomas D. Trummer in an initial statement.
Vorarlberg Governor Barbara Schöbi-Fink likewise condemned the act of destruction: “Destroying works of art is an assault not only on the creative power and expressive freedom of the artist and art but also on our cultural diversity and values as a society.”
Mayor Michael Ritsch commented: “The provincial capital of Bregenz stands for diversity and tolerance. Such acts of vandalism and hate crimes are attacks on both artistic freedom and on the values of an open and tolerant society. We’re speaking the same language here: no to hate, exclusion, discrimination, and homophobia!”
The destroyed KUB Billboards will be replaced as quickly as possible. The police are investigating. The exhibition Anne Imhof – Wish You Were Gay at Kunsthaus Bregenz can be seen until September 22.
