“Hype & High Culture” at the MAK

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Wiener Festwochen, the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts presents the exhibition “Hype & High Culture”. The exhibition features a comprehensive selection of iconic posters spanning more than seven decades of the festival’s history.

Two of those decades were significantly shaped by Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann / DMB., whose work left a lasting impact on the visual identity of the Wiener Festwochen. The campaigns exemplify a period in which the festival increasingly positioned itself as a cultural space between high culture and socio-political relevance.

Mariusz Jan Demner: “What was new about the Wiener Festwochen campaign was that the posters were not merely created to promote the festival; they were conceived as an integral and highly visible part of the Festwochen programme itself. In other words, they functioned as independent cultural statements while simultaneously advertising the event.”

The exhibited motifs highlight not only creative diversity, but also the ambition to spark debate and to stage both the Wiener Festwochen and their campaigns as a vibrant artistic presence within the city. The exhibition demonstrates how strongly the festival posters have always reflected their respective eras: they recall artistic milestones, social controversies, and moments that captured public attention across the urban landscape.

“Hype & High Culture. 75 Years of Wiener Festwochen in Posters” will be on view at the MAK from 22 April to 20 September 2026. Developed in collaboration with the Wienbibliothek im Rathaus, the exhibition will also make the complete Wiener Festwochen poster archive digitally accessible to the public for the first time.