The New Headquarters - Volksbank AG

IN-HOUSE ART
Art in the Atrium
Otto Zitko’s innovative project for our bank
[1] Otto Zitko’s artwork
in the atrium
The centrepiece of the new headquarters is the
atrium – an architectural highlight in a 22-metre-high
space. An artwork like nothing else in the Austrian
bank world has been created here on wall space of
around 4,000 square metres covered with foil.
The artwork by Otto Zitko in the atrium forms a
special synergy with the specific architecture. Otto
Zitko emerged as the winner of the art competition.
In the context of a tendering process held back in
2008, the six Austrian artists Peter Kogler, Brigitte
Kowanz, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Virgil Widrich, Erwin
Wurm and Otto Zitko were invited to design
“art in the atrium”.
The challenge for the artists was to fit the respective
artwork with the special spatial conditions and the
architectural challenge of the atrium. StefanRothleitnerContemporary
provided technical support for
this competition.
The criterion for the decision was the response to
the space and the individual interpretation of it in the
various artistic media. The jury unanimously opted
for Otto Zitko’s design for the atrium. It also proposed
Brigitte Kowanz’s concept for “art in the
foyer” [> SEE PAGE 40].
Otto Zitko’s uses the spatial structure of the atrium
with its edges and recesses as a context for his typical
blend of drawing and painting.
36 THE NEW HEADQUARTERS
[1]