Lara Almarcegui: Urban Transformation and Vacant Lots Exhibition at Secession, Vienna

This exhibition by Lara Almarcegui explores urban transformation processes through the lens of neglected spaces and materials. The artist focuses on vacant lots and construction debris, documenting and questioning the future use and potential of these overlooked elements within the city.

Lara Almarcegui, a Spanish artist based in Rotterdam, investigates urban transformation processes driven by political, social, and economic changes. Her work since the mid-1990s centers on elements typically ignored in urban perception, such as vacant lots, construction materials, and the invisible aspects of city development. For her first solo exhibition in Austria at the Secession, Almarcegui developed three new works that engage directly with Vienna and the historic exhibition house, while also referencing her previous projects worldwide. Almarcegui frequently works in outdoor spaces, documenting and analyzing vacant lots that are slated for future change. She gathers historical, geographical, ecological, and sociological facts about these urban spaces, often compiling them into guides and brochures that factually present the past, present, and future of these areas. For the Secession, she created a guide focusing on vacant lots at the Nordbahnhof in Vienna, a site with a complex history as a former major railway station. The guide captures the current state of undefined transition, emphasizing the value of these spaces as the last undefined areas in the city, where processes occur by chance rather than by plan. The exhibition also features "Bauschutt Hauptraum Secession" (Building Rubble Main Room Secession), where materials used in the construction of the main exhibition hall are presented as heaps, prompting questions about their future recycling and the potential for new constructions from these elements. A poetic intervention in the Graphic Cabinet, "Abtragen des Parkettbodens, Grafisches Kabinett" (Removing the Parquet Floor, Graphic Cabinet), further explores the learning process derived from a specific site and the underlying elements, creating a dialogue between the exterior urban space and the interior exhibition environment.

Information about tickets is available via a link to the Secession's shop. Visitors can check opening hours for 'today' which are Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM. General information and tickets can be found on the 'Informationen & Tickets' page, and a general ticket link is provided, suggesting a standard admission policy likely tied to museum entry rather than a separate exhibition ticket unless specified on the linked page. As no specific pricing or booking details are on this page, visitors are directed to external ticketing resources. The page also links to a general ticketing portal for Secession, suggesting standard admission procedures apply for most exhibitions unless otherwise stated on the linked ticket page. No specific details about free entry or special admission requirements for this exhibition are provided on the page itself beyond general access information and ticket links. Based on the available information, visitors are advised to consult the linked ticketing pages for the most current details on admission and booking requirements, implying a typical museum admission policy for this exhibition. The page itself does not offer specific ticket pricing or reservation information for this exhibition directly, only linking to external booking platforms and general museum information. Visitors should refer to the provided links for detailed ticketing information and admission policies for this exhibition. General opening hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, and a ticket link is provided for purchases and further information, directing users to the official ticketing portal of the Secession. The page includes a general link for tickets and information, suggesting that standard admission applies and details can be found on the linked page, and visitors should check this for specific pricing and booking procedures. The page offers a general 'tickets' link that leads to an external booking site, and visitors are advised to check this for current pricing, booking procedures, and admission policies for this exhibition, along with the general museum opening hours.