Founded in 2002 by Francesca von Habsburg in Vienna, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21) represents the fourth generation of the Thyssen family’s commitments to the arts. After more than fifteen years of collecting, commissioning projects, and engaged exhibition practice, TBA21 has established a highly respected collection of more than seven hundred contemporary artworks in the field of new media, including film, video, light, sound and mixed-media installations, sculpture, painting, photography, and performance. TBA21’s unique collection is the result of its ongoing commitment to commissioning and disseminating numerous art projects, including multimedia installations, sound compositions, endurance performances, and contemporary architecture. This has led to its pioneering reputation in the art world. The foundation sustains a far-reaching regional and international orientation through collaborations with other cultural partners around the world and explores modes of presentation that are intended to provoke and broaden the way viewers perceive and experience art. In 2015 Francesca von Habsburg decided to dedicate the foundation’s ongoing program to becoming an agent of change by focusing on the complexities and urgencies of the “Anthropocene era” as well as the pressing challenges posed by climate change, with a special focus on marine ecosystems.
Boris Ondreička (1969) is a Slovak artist, author, and since 2012 curator at Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna. With TBA21 he has co-curated exhibitions Rare Earth, Supper Club, Tomorrow Morning Line, Olafur Eliasson „Green light—An Artistic Workshop“, 5 seasons of the frequence of spoken-word Ephemeropteræ, and interdisciplinary seminars The Alchemical Paradigm and The Forgotten Space at Croatian island of Lopud—one of remote venues of TBA21.