Deniz GUVENSOY

05/12/2025

Many thanks to Natalia Gurova and Andrea Glauser for inviting me to this interesting colloquium with a very important topic.

Artistic self-organisation and networks of solidarity in times of crisis

Colloquium in cooperation with Office Ukraine – Support for Ukrainian Artists Austria

Date: December 3-4, 2025

Self-organised spaces and initiatives run by artists play a crucial role in the arts and culture in many countries. They exist in a wide variety of forms, and their characteristics, agendas and interrelationships can be understood as responses to the specific social, political and economic conditions that artists face. Through their collective appropriation and use of places, groups of artists and cultural workers claim and create spaces for the emergence, interconnection and visibility of artistic practice, as well as for interaction and networking. Claiming space is crucial to artistic freedom and cultural diversity. At the same time, such collective initiatives are often driven by precarious working and living conditions with which many individual artists are confronted

27/10/2025

First pictures from some of the great moments of the Women's Matinee has just arrived. Here is our technical team, at the stage installation and soundcheck day. Many thanks to our stage manager, Christoph Manß, our stage technician Diana, and dear Laurus Edelbacher for his dedication and support in all sort of technical issues. And of course many thanks to the technical team of Kulturhaus Brotfabrik. Without your efforts such an intense program could not come into stage. and of course many thanks to for our rock n' roll photos!

16/09/2025

At Supercondominio 7 in Italy, Fabrikraum presented the Independent Space Index, its festival, and structure. We would like to thank for their generous hospitality. During our time in the beautiful town of Dogliani, we enjoyed meaningful exchanges with like-minded colleagues from Italy and abroad. Conversations on public art, education, and learning were inspiring, and we discovered many initiatives, experiences, and creative projects, as well as the challenges they face. We are also glad to be a member of the Index, which promotes the vibrant independent scene in Vienna.

18/07/2025

05/04/2025

Francesca Woodman, who is one of the most inspiring artists for me, was in Vienna. Her genius, novelty and power to transform everyday objects,female body and spaces into dream-like situations and forms is incredible. Born in 1958, this woman took her 'selfie' at the age of thirteen. Until her tragic death when she was only 22, she left behind an incredible body of work in such a glimpse of time.

28/03/2025

I have done these Pikachu sketches in the summer of 2016, when I just came to Vienna. We had a failed coup attempt in Turkey and everyone was playing Pokémon with their cellphones on the streets. It was a weird summer. Now, nearly 10 years later our dear Pikachu is now himself on the streets of Turkey, trying to protect his democratic right to vote. People, please stand in solidarity with Turkish people, even though the Western governments ignore the whole situation, while hundreds of people are detained because they used their right to protest and express their opinions.

15/02/2025

I have been finally awarded Doctoral Degree from the University of Applied Arts Vienna, after many years. I came to Vienna in my mid thirties, learned German, had my 2nd doctoral Degree, curated many projects, started Boxing, opened a cultural association and started organising feminist projects with my dear comrades. It was tough but I am thankful to all the dear people, especially women who gave me power, resilience and inspiration.

06/01/2025

02/12/2024

I would like to sincerely thank Mark Gerstorfer for presenting his beautiful film Invisible Border in our independent space. The film focuses on the deportation of an Albanian family in the middle of the night. In a country where almost a quarter of the workforce is made up of migrants, the film brings to light a story that is very familiar to some, while most others are unaware of it. It shows how a person can be suddenly and easily sent away from a country where they have lived for years, learned the language, worked, made friends, fallen in love, and started a family. It reveals the impossibility of the boundaries we feel we belong to, and how bare lives exist in limbo, trapped in a never-ending awareness of not belonging. It shows the heavy weight of being a migrant, carrying the border anxiety every moment.

Please contact our association to reserve a place.

02/12/2024

In September, I was invited to participate in a panel at the Wienwoche Festival to speak about migrants, as 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of Turkish guest workers arriving in Vienna. In Austria, nearly 16% of the population are non-citizens, and people with a migration background make up 23% of the population. Statistically, migrants earn less and live under worse conditions, with lower housing standards and overall quality of life. Contrary to right-wing rhetoric, migrant workers are the backbone of capitalist industry. They are often essential workers and have played a crucial role in addressing the food and care crises, which became particularly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Migration also leads to differentiated forms of precarious labor, as migrants face varying legal conditions depending on their status. However, their rights are largely defined by the border regime, leaving them precarious, exploited, and under constant stress of losing their residency or facing deportation.

02/12/2024

24/11/2024

Panel Discussion Creativity as a Political Tool, Moderation: Neff Jelinek, Speakers: Hinrich, Activist + Trainer, Die Letzte Generation, Maksym Khodak Indep. Artist / Ukraine, Deniz Güvensoy Artist & Researcher, Das Goldene Buch, Kiara Practitioner of the Theatre of the Oppressed, Catcalls of Vienna, Central European University, "Art in Politics - Creative Disruption", 2.2.2024