CEU Announces Finalists for the 35th Anniversary Public Art Commission

Three international artists/teams were selected to develop proposals for a new landmark artwork at CEU’s Vienna Campus.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA, December 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Central European University (CEU) is pleased to announce the four finalists for its international 35th Anniversary Public Art Commission. The selected artists/teams will now enter the second stage of the process, developing detailed proposals for a permanent public artwork to be installed at CEU’s campus in the Favoriten district of Vienna in autumn 2026. Chosen from a highly competitive pool of international submissions, the finalists represent a wide range of artistic approaches that align with the commission’s core themes: resilience, diversity, and the creation of new forms of community in the face of displacement and transformation.

“We were deeply impressed by the quality, imagination, and unique perspectives of the submissions,” said Mathias Moschel, Pro-Rector for External Relations. “These four finalists embody the openness, creativity, and critical spirit that define CEU.”

The Finalists (in alphabetical order): 

Solweig de Barry — Echoes on Glass
A façade painting brings abstract impressions of CEU’s former Budapest neighborhood into the new Vienna building, creating a dynamic dialogue between past and present through changing light. The work links Vienna and Budapest visually and transforms interior spaces through light projections that shift throughout the day.

Andreas Fogarasi — The Facades of CEU
The work visualizes CEU’s ongoing movement and transformation by layering outlines from its Budapest facades, past buildings, and key historical events, showing the university’s evolving identity.

Kund Kopacz — A Conference of the Birds
A series of bird-shaped weathervanes, inspired by Attar’s sufi poem Conference of the Birds symbolizes CEU’s journey of resilience and transformation. The work connects the poem’s themes with the university’s own path and global network.

Danielle Pamp, Florian Aschka, Larissa Kopp, Sigi Sekira — Crossroads to new ways
A collective project honoring underrepresented historical figures in science through sculptural reliefs and quotes that foreground resistance and social justice. The work bridges artistic research with CEU’s values of critical inquiry and inclusion.

Next Steps in the Selection Process

The four finalists will now be invited to site visits, and they will develop their detailed proposals including visualizations and technical notes by January 31, 2026. In February 2026, they will present their proposals to the selection committee - including French designer Matali Crasset, Swiss participatory artist San Keller, Viennese architect Michael Rieper and CEU Pro-Rector for External Relations Mathias Moschel. One winning artist or team will then be commissioned to realize the work. Design development, fabrication, and coordination will take place from spring through autumn 2026, with installation planned for October 2026 and the official unveiling during CEU’s 35th Anniversary Celebration in November 2026.

About the Art Commission

In October 2025, CEU launched a call for a bold, contemporary artwork to mark the university’s 35th anniversary. An artwork that captures the university’s spirit of transformation and that speaks of freedom, critical inquiry, and community across cultures. The work will be installed in the publicly accessible outdoor areas of CEU’s Quellenstrasse campus in Vienna’s Favoriten district and should conceptually and architecturally engage with its urban environment.

About CEU

Founded in 1991 and based in Vienna since 2019, the Central European University (CEU) is a non-profit private university with around 1,500 students from more than 100 countries pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs accredited both in the United States and Austria. Our more than 200 outstanding faculty members and researchers ensure an excellent student–faculty ratio, and consistent external recognition in the form of prestigious research awards and third-party funded projects. CEU is committed to equal opportunity, diversity, open societies, and freedom of expression — exemplified through initiatives such as the “Invisible University for Ukraine.”

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