ARCHIVES OF THE LIVING
Updated: 20 hours ago
THE NEW EXHIBITION IN VIENNA
ARCHIVES OF THE LIVING — THE EXHIBITION IS NOW OPEN
Duration: 17 September – 1 October 2026 Exhibition open daily from 16:00–19:00 (artists will be present)
Location: Galerie Mana, Stuckgasse 4, 1070 Vienna
EVENTS
Midissage: September 24, 2026 7:00 p.m.
Finissage: October 1, 2026 7:00 p.m. 7:00 PM
(further details on how to get there at the end)
Last Thursday, Archives of the Living opened its doors at Galerie Mana in Vienna, marking the beginning of an exhibition that brings together painting, sculpture, jewellery and music around the fascinating and fragile world of plants.
A Living Archive
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening, for coming to see the works, for the conversations, curiosity and wonderful energy you brought into the space. It was a pleasure to share this project with so many people and to finally see the exhibition come to life.
A very special thank you goes to Olivia Haas, with whom I organised the exhibition together. Olivia is not only an important part behind, but is also participating in the exhibition with her beautiful and diverse jewellery collection. Her works create another layer within the exhibition, extending the dialogue between nature, material, craft and transformation beyond the paintings.
Already Changing
Since the opening, the exhibition has already begun to change. Some works have found new homes already — which I am truly grateful for.
Their departure feels particularly fitting within the concept of Archives of the Living:
an archive is never static. It grows, changes and moves from one place to another, carrying its stories with it.
There are currently 53 works on view, including new paintings of rare and unusual plants from Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Türkiye, the Canary Islands (Spain), and the United Kingdom.
From Plants to Steel
Alongside the plant paintings, the exhibition presents the Steelplants series in two distinct forms.
Some of the works are created from recycled stainless-steel shavings, transforming an industrial material that would otherwise be discarded into delicate, organic structures. The contrast between the roughness of the material and the fragility of the forms reflects the tension at the heart of the series: industry and nature, permanence and vulnerability, destruction and transformation.
The newer works "Blütenblätter" (Flower Petals) take this idea in another direction. Made to measure from stainless steel, individual elements are precisely formed into petals, translating botanical structures into metal.
Among these are Edelweiß, Taraxacum Mirabile and Fritillaria Imperialis.
The stainless steel becomes a kind of botanical material — cold, durable and industrial, yet shaped into forms that recall the softness and intricacy of living flowers.
Jewellery, Music & Material
The exhibition also includes Olivia Haas's intricate jewellery collection, bringing the language of natural forms and materials into a different, wearable dimension.
Musical impressions by Konstantin Wladigeroff on the night of the opening further expanded the exhibition beyond the visual, adding a sonic layer to the experience and creating another way of encountering the works.
Stories Held in Plants
At the heart of Archives of the Living are the plants themselves. Each species carries its own story — connected to a particular landscape, ecosystem, botanical history, mythology, memory or human relationship.
The paintings do not simply record these plants; they invite us to look at them as protagonists, as living forms that hold traces of the places and histories with which they are connected.
The Archive Continues
And perhaps this is what makes visiting the exhibition now particularly interesting: the archive will be changing.
New works will join the existing exhibition while others remain in the gallery, partially rearranged forming new perspectives, each carrying its own story and offering a different encounter with the living world.
Archives of the Living is currently on view at Galerie Mana in Vienna. The artists will be present during opening hours and during the upcoming events and are happy to share more about the works, the plants and the stories behind them.
We warmly invite you to come and discover the exhibition — and perhaps meet a plant you didn't know you needed to know. 🌿
Upcoming Events
September 24, 2026 Mid-Exhibition Event 7:00 p.m.
October 1, 2026 Closing Reception 7:00 p.m.
Musical impressions by the Wladigeroff Trio, and a wine pairing by Heinrich Miller-Aichholz.
Music
Wladigeroff Trio, www.wladigeroff.com
Ekaterina Wladigerova - Piano & Melodica
Konstantin Wladigeroff - Piano & Clarinet
Alexander Wladigeroff - Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Wine pairing
Wine, of course! Heinrich Miller-Aichholz
How to get there
Public transportation
Subway Line U3: Neubaugasse station (approx. 5-minute walk) or Volkstheater station
Subway Line U2: Volkstheater station (approx. 6- to 8-minute walk)
Tram: Line 49 (Kirchengasse stop)
Bus: Lines 13A or 48A in the immediate vicinity
Nearby parking garages
MAHÜ 77 | Best in Parking: Damböckgasse 4, 1060 Vienna (approx. 5–10 minutes’ walk away, open 24/7).
Lugner Garage Halbgasse: Halbgasse 3/5, 1070 Vienna (also within walking distance). [1, 2, 3]
Important rules for street parking (short-term parking zone in Vienna)
Valid: Monday through Friday (weekdays) from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Maximum parking duration: 2 hours.
Fee/Proof: Required via electronic parking ticket (mobile parking) or physical parking ticket.
Comments