VIENNA.- As part of the second Klima Biennale Wien—a project by KunstHausWien—the outdoor exhibition (No) Funny Games turns the city of Vienna into an outdoor arena for art: ten artistic positions by River Claure, Dominik Eulberg & Marcin Nowicki, Romuald Hazoumè (a project by museum in progress), FutureLeaks, Folke Köbberling (a project by KÖR Wien—Public Art Vienna), NEVERCREW (with Calle Libre), Margot Pilz, Eva Seiler (at MQ Art Box), Pia Sirén, and Zheng Mahler are presented across the urban space. With wit and charm, they offer seemingly playful approaches to the environmental crisis and its social implications. Beneath the beautiful surface, an undercurrent of unease begins to emerge. Today’s games are anything but funny.

In a world increasingly shaped by climate disasters, political upheaval, and social fragmentation, our most basic human needs—safety, care, connection—seem to be slipping away. What remains often feels cold, hostile, or even cruel beyond comprehension. (No) Funny Games confronts this uncomfortable reality head on. The exhibition as part of the Klima Biennale Wien plays with surface beauty and apparent lightness.

The outdoor exhibition unfolds across a wide range of sites—from urban hotspots such as Karlsplatz (including one column of the famous Karlskirche), Aspernbrücke (a bridge over the Danube Canal), and the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel to a shopping centre, along with murals and photographic works on building or advertising walls and columns: While artists Margot Pilz and Pia Sirén evoke beach vibes and River Claure celebrates the end of the world, Folke Köbberling is having a car/SUV composted , FutureLeaks plays with sleight of hand, and Zheng Mahler has developed a joyful plague column. Through unexpected encounters in everyday life situations and places, they invite the public to reflect and to take action in shaping a better tomorrow.

Joy becomes an act of resistance

Drawing on references like the movies Funny Games by Michael Haneke and Dr. Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick, the exhibition engages in a double game of irony and sincerity. It uses aesthetic allure to draw us in, only to challenge our emotional defenses and confront us with our shared complicity. Joy becomes an act of resistance; wonder a way to stay alive in dystopia. But the question remains: What kinds of worlds are we creating to make the real one bearable—and at what cost?

(No) Funny Games not only questions the role of public art in times of crisis, but also critiques how art is often instrumentalized in the context of climate discourse—without attempting to offer real solutions. These works break the fourth wall, inviting emotional involvement and ethical reflection rather than passive consumption. A reminder that even beautiful illusions come with responsibilities.

Curated by: Dorothea Trappel & Hektor Peljak (Klima Biennale Wien 2026) with Calle Libre, KÖR Wien, museum in progress, Museumsquartier Wien

List of artworks

• River Claure (Bolivia), A cuenta de tres, lo destruimos todo (facade, Nordbahnstraße 51, and advertising spaces in various locations around the city)

• Dominik Eulberg & Marcin Nowicki (Germany), Ultrafauna (sound installation in the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel)

• FutureLeaks (Germany), The BIG Casino (immersive performance at Wien Mitte The Mall)

• Romuald Hazoumè (Benin), ALTER ECO—Fâ (Aspernbrücke, Stubentorbrücke, Franz-Josefs-Kai, I a project by museum in progress)

• Folke Köbberling (Germany), Maaaaash! (Rosa Mayreder-Park, Karlsplatz I, a project by KÖR Wien—Public Art Vienna)

• NEVERCREW (Switzerland), Souvenir (facade, Baumgasse 77 Wien I, in cooperation with Calle Libre)

• Margot Pilz (Austria), Kaorle am Karlsplatz 2026 (Karlsplatz)

• Eva Seiler (Germany), SPINSTERHOOD—The Mulberry Tree, the Silkworm, the Textile Worker and the Machine (MQ Art Box in the main court of MuseumsQuartier Wien I, in cooperation with MuseumsQuartier Wien)

• Pia Sirén (Finland), Karlsplatz Palmtrees (Karlsplatz)

• Zheng Mahler (Hong Kong/Australia), Plague Column (Karlskirche, Karlsplatz)

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication, which will be published in cooperation with Verlag für Moderne Kunst, Vienna

Klima Biennale Wien is a transdisciplinary festival organized by KunstHausWien that uses the power of art to foster societal transformation. Its first edition, in 2024, attracted more than 225,000 visitors.