The topic of “shoes“ opens up an entire cosmos of stories, personal experiences and preconceptions. Shoes symbolise passion, fetish, sensuality, and the search for perfection. They represent trivial needs and at the same time are an attractive medium for artistic exploration. The subject of this exhibition is the contemplation of shoes not only as transient fashion projects but as design objects that make their own autonomous statements.

Most of the approximately 220 experimental shoe creations by designers, artists and architects are one of a kind or have been produced only in small series. Many have been devised as small sculptures, as conceptual statements, or as provocations against the main stream. These SHOEting Stars are distinguished by their unusual forms, exclusive materials and “emotional added value” – often to the detriment of their actual wearability.

The thematic grouping of the exhibited works underscores the blurring of boundaries between art, design and handicrafts. The spectrum ranges from an architectonic approach through experiments with materials to the shoe as a fetish object. The manifold possibilities inherent in shoes as a creative medium are reflected not only in the shoes themselves but also in installations, photographs and videos, and include the positions of several Austrian artists and designers.