Unlike unrealized architectural projects, which are frequently exhibited and circulated, unrealized artworks tend to remain unnoticed or little known. But perhaps there is another form of artistic agency in the partial expression, the incomplete idea, the projection of a mere intention? Agency of Unrealized Projects (AUP) seeks to document and display these works. Whether censored, forgotten, postponed, impossible, or rejected, unrealized projects form a unique testament to the speculative power of non-action.

AUP follows the publication entitled “Unbuilt Roads: 107 Unrealized Projects,” collated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Guy Tortosa after several years of international research conducted in the late 1990s. Twenty years later, the Agency of Unrealized Projects was formed in collaboration with Julieta Aranda and Anton Vidokle, and an open call for unrealized projects was issued for its first public exhibition at ArtBasel in 2011. The open call will continue until all unrealized art projects are compiled.

Time Magazine Cover - Robert Rauschenberg

Proposal for a permanent video installation for the NYC headquarters of Sony Corporation - Dara Birnbaum

Tower Cranes, Paris  - Tadashi Kawamata

MAK - Wien  - Rosemarie Trockel

Billboard - Jimmie Durham

Monumento all'agricoltura 1969-70 - Alighiero Boetti

Project for the Initiative Mahnmal Homosexuellenverfolgung, Frankfurt  - Jeff Wall

"Ileana, I love you" - Maurizo Cattelan

Jake and Dinos Chapman's five proposals for an empty plinth situated on central londons trafalgar square - Jake and Dinos Chapman

AUSSICHTSTURM, HOLZHAUS (WOHNHAUS), SCHWIMMBECKEN, FREIE FAHRT - Maria Eichhorn

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4635
25.05.2011
“Handy Space Bags”  - Valeska Peschke
WWW
“Handy Space Bags” Kafka wrote: "Everyone carries a room about him." Everyone carries a room about him through other rooms. I hope to examine and detect ‘traverse rooms’ . In daily life, moving through the city, the utilities needed are enclos ...
“Handy Space Bags” Kafka wrote: "Everyone carries a room about him." Everyone carries a room about him through other rooms. I hope to examine and detect ‘traverse rooms’ . In daily life, moving through the city, the utilities needed are enclos ...
W3647
15.05.2011
World Atlas - ANNA LASCARI
WWW
“World Atlas” is a visual depiction of worldwide hunger. It is a monument to all the people whose lives are in stake due to hunger, whether it is a child that dies every five seconds from hunger related causes, or those in the West who search dumpster ...
“World Atlas” is a visual depiction of worldwide hunger. It is a monument to all the people whose lives are in stake due to hunger, whether it is a child that dies every five seconds from hunger related causes, or those in the West who search dumpster ...
W4072
23.05.2011
'KEIDAI reappearance' project - OKAMOTO Mitsuhiro
WWW
'KEIDAI reappearance' project, July to September 2005, is reappearance of one of a Japanese shrine precincts in Ciaotou, south of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  Most Japanese Shinto shrines in Taiwan were destroyed by Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang after W.W.Ⅱ ...
'KEIDAI reappearance' project, July to September 2005, is reappearance of one of a Japanese shrine precincts in Ciaotou, south of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  Most Japanese Shinto shrines in Taiwan were destroyed by Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang after W.W.Ⅱ ...
W5228
08.10.2012
Julie Ball
WWW
Digital images from an evolving collection of unintentional human mark making Images related as a record of a chance incident in time that has left a physical mark -evidence of the moment. Each mark has its origins as unique, unintentional and undesir ...
Digital images from an evolving collection of unintentional human mark making Images related as a record of a chance incident in time that has left a physical mark -evidence of the moment. Each mark has its origins as unique, unintentional and undesir ...
W4711
26.05.2011
The Intellectual Refuge(e) Camp – 21 tents for the 21st Century - Patrick Meagher & WORK.ac
WWW
Dear M. Buergel, Please find enclosed our proposal ‘The Intellectual Refuge(e) Camp – 21 tents for the 21st Century’, which your Leitmotifs for Documenta 12 inspired. Feeling immediately akin to your text, the Leitmotifs resonated with idea ...
Dear M. Buergel, Please find enclosed our proposal ‘The Intellectual Refuge(e) Camp – 21 tents for the 21st Century’, which your Leitmotifs for Documenta 12 inspired. Feeling immediately akin to your text, the Leitmotifs resonated with idea ...
W3989
21.05.2011
Ordinary Fight Nights - Industry of the Ordinary
WWW
Industry of the Ordinary propose to stage Industry of the Ordinary Fight Nights. The art world is rife with petty enmities and personal disagreements. What better way to sort these out once and for all than to offer protagonists (antagonists) the opportun ...
Industry of the Ordinary propose to stage Industry of the Ordinary Fight Nights. The art world is rife with petty enmities and personal disagreements. What better way to sort these out once and for all than to offer protagonists (antagonists) the opportun ...
W4808
07.08.2012
Objekt - Dritan Hyska
WWW
I'm here to write to offer my project, titled "Objekt. My work is centered above all on architecture and urban spaces. I just need that on a construction site, harboring, in particular giving me a small space on the scaffold, a photo of variable size PVC ...
I'm here to write to offer my project, titled "Objekt. My work is centered above all on architecture and urban spaces. I just need that on a construction site, harboring, in particular giving me a small space on the scaffold, a photo of variable size PVC ...
W4755
27.05.2011
Dreamy - Oona Stern
WWW
dreamy A wall is constructed brick-and-mortar style, but instead of clay or stone, the bricks are made from shrubbery. It is both a wall and a topiary, bringing together architecture and the garden. As typical of hedgerows, it serves to define space, ...
dreamy A wall is constructed brick-and-mortar style, but instead of clay or stone, the bricks are made from shrubbery. It is both a wall and a topiary, bringing together architecture and the garden. As typical of hedgerows, it serves to define space, ...
W4659
25.05.2011
Correspondence. - Mark Rowan-Hull
WWW
Correspondence. Hearing /Vision. 2010. I am a visual artist who works mostly live in performance with Music. This work has evolved partly through my own joint practice as an artist and musician and through my own unique experience of seeing music and ...
Correspondence. Hearing /Vision. 2010. I am a visual artist who works mostly live in performance with Music. This work has evolved partly through my own joint practice as an artist and musician and through my own unique experience of seeing music and ...
W5429
20.10.2012
imagined spaces - Stephen Cruise
WWW
Series entitled ‘imagined spaces’ begun in 2005 On-going. New works generated when site and form find their place. Stephen Cruise Willow dale ON Canada Image One 1 Raymond Drive - a re-visitation to a childhood home Image Two Blooming ...
Series entitled ‘imagined spaces’ begun in 2005 On-going. New works generated when site and form find their place. Stephen Cruise Willow dale ON Canada Image One 1 Raymond Drive - a re-visitation to a childhood home Image Two Blooming ...
W5037
01.09.2012
Cultivating the Field of the Absurd - Barbara Nemitz
WWW
Title: " Cultivating the Field of the Absurd" The work is to be made in the landscape. In an open part with a large plain - some shrubberies and trees may be around - an extensive embroidery is to be seen on the ground. It is made out of silky shimmer ...
Title: " Cultivating the Field of the Absurd" The work is to be made in the landscape. In an open part with a large plain - some shrubberies and trees may be around - an extensive embroidery is to be seen on the ground. It is made out of silky shimmer ...
W3573
12.05.2011
MOROSO Prize 2010 Proposal - Gabriele De Santis
WWW
Introduction Before this opportunity, I knew of Moroso, but I was not fortunate enough to fully engage with it in-depth. The first step was obviously to carefully explore the website. Through the images and literature offered I gained a better underst ...
Introduction Before this opportunity, I knew of Moroso, but I was not fortunate enough to fully engage with it in-depth. The first step was obviously to carefully explore the website. Through the images and literature offered I gained a better underst ...
W5504
15.11.2012
(M)other - Alireza Labeshka
WWW
My mother says when I was a baby it was not easy to wean me off her breast. Later on in order to make me give up the pacifier, my mom pinned it to the curtain of my room so I would suppose it wounded and that it cannot be used again. I have heard that day ...
My mother says when I was a baby it was not easy to wean me off her breast. Later on in order to make me give up the pacifier, my mom pinned it to the curtain of my room so I would suppose it wounded and that it cannot be used again. I have heard that day ...
W4922
18.08.2012
sin∞fin – The Logbook and Left Over’s Installation "An Itinerary on the Boarders of our Bodies" - VestAndPage (Verena Stenke & Andrea Pagnes)
WWW
The idea of making a Logbook that digs into the core of the poiesis of VestAndPage’s recently edited movie trilogy sin∞fin - The Movie (hybrid opera combining Performance art and filmmaking), as cornerstone of an exhibition installation of various ori ...
The idea of making a Logbook that digs into the core of the poiesis of VestAndPage’s recently edited movie trilogy sin∞fin - The Movie (hybrid opera combining Performance art and filmmaking), as cornerstone of an exhibition installation of various ori ...
W3611
13.05.2011
Atanas Atanasoski
WWW
W4597
25.05.2011
"IN MEMORY OF THE (UNKNOWN) VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE". - Alexander Vaindorf
WWW
"IN MEMORY OF THE (UNKNOWN) VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE". Full scale model for the monument in Gyumri, Armenia The work was shown at the Gyumri Biennale 2008 ...
"IN MEMORY OF THE (UNKNOWN) VICTIMS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE". Full scale model for the monument in Gyumri, Armenia The work was shown at the Gyumri Biennale 2008 ...
W4312
24.05.2011
Msquare4 - Andre Kodde
WWW
A call for unrealized projects Msquare4 You walk on an apparently miles long quay and all of a sudden a museum building arises. This time on poles over the water, but Msquare4 can be placed in every desired environment. Msquare4’s floor-plan is a gr ...
A call for unrealized projects Msquare4 You walk on an apparently miles long quay and all of a sudden a museum building arises. This time on poles over the water, but Msquare4 can be placed in every desired environment. Msquare4’s floor-plan is a gr ...
W5233
08.10.2012
Surface Enlightenment - Bill Vielehr
WWW
Titled "Surface Enlightenment," this piece consists of two wall reliefs, each of which is 4' high x 30' long x 4" deep. They are made of cast & fabricated aluminum with highly reflective textured surfaces. Bill Vielehr PO Box 19734 Boulder, CO 80308-27 ...
Titled "Surface Enlightenment," this piece consists of two wall reliefs, each of which is 4' high x 30' long x 4" deep. They are made of cast & fabricated aluminum with highly reflective textured surfaces. Bill Vielehr PO Box 19734 Boulder, CO 80308-27 ...
W3622
14.05.2011
SIGHT UNSEEN - Marcy B. Freedman
WWW
“Message to curators: Whatever you’re doing right now, do something else next.” Roberta Smith (New York Times, February 14, 2010) THE CONCEPT: SIGHT UNSEEN is intended to challenge traditional notions of curatorial practice. The project establis ...
“Message to curators: Whatever you’re doing right now, do something else next.” Roberta Smith (New York Times, February 14, 2010) THE CONCEPT: SIGHT UNSEEN is intended to challenge traditional notions of curatorial practice. The project establis ...
W3865
19.05.2011
23rd Street Station MTA PROPOSAL 5-5-00 - Chris Twomey
WWW
The concept for this proposal evolved from my own experience riding the subway line last year when I had to travel with my infant. I would board the train at rush hour with her sleeping snugly positioned in my body. Then, I noticed the harried and tired ...
The concept for this proposal evolved from my own experience riding the subway line last year when I had to travel with my infant. I would board the train at rush hour with her sleeping snugly positioned in my body. Then, I noticed the harried and tired ...
W5016
30.08.2012
TOTEM WAR - WHEN ARCHITECTURE BECOMES RIVAL CLANS’ BATTLEFIELD - Martial MARQUET
WWW
TOTEM WAR - WHEN ARCHITECTURE BECOMES RIVAL CLANS’ BATTLEFIELD autors : Louisa Gouesnard, Martial Marquet, Nicolas Polaert. date : Jan 2011 Place : Sliznevo, RUSSIA. Dimensions : variables Materials : Wood/Steel What is happening in Sliznevo ? ...
TOTEM WAR - WHEN ARCHITECTURE BECOMES RIVAL CLANS’ BATTLEFIELD autors : Louisa Gouesnard, Martial Marquet, Nicolas Polaert. date : Jan 2011 Place : Sliznevo, RUSSIA. Dimensions : variables Materials : Wood/Steel What is happening in Sliznevo ? ...
W4289
24.05.2011
Mouse Trap - Carla Bengtson
WWW
Mouse Trap 9 days, 9 baits, 2010 Digital print with raisin, peanut butter, cranberry, peanut butter, cheese, and crackers in artist’s studio at Ucross Foundation, Wyoming ...
Mouse Trap 9 days, 9 baits, 2010 Digital print with raisin, peanut butter, cranberry, peanut butter, cheese, and crackers in artist’s studio at Ucross Foundation, Wyoming ...
W4787
07.06.2011
Revolutions - Paul Muguet
WWW
Paul Muguet’s Unrealized Project for Year 2011: REVOLUTIONS Revolutions is about the reversal of popular imagery in times of crisis. The inspiration for this project comes from the European imagery about a country in which everything is reversed: " ...
Paul Muguet’s Unrealized Project for Year 2011: REVOLUTIONS Revolutions is about the reversal of popular imagery in times of crisis. The inspiration for this project comes from the European imagery about a country in which everything is reversed: " ...
W5257
12.10.2012
Unseen Connections - Andrei Sidorkin
WWW
This is a project concerning social and institutional critique both. It is the play with the problem of localization of the place where art should happen, but suddenly it appears in another place than it was expected. And also this project reveals conform ...
This is a project concerning social and institutional critique both. It is the play with the problem of localization of the place where art should happen, but suddenly it appears in another place than it was expected. And also this project reveals conform ...
W4108
23.05.2011
Ground Control  - Rachel Jenman
WWW
As Fine Artists Diccon Spain and I worked on this proposal to re design a pedestrian subway in Kent. This subway design embraced natural light and changed the feeling of the entire space in a way not done before. The subway provided a walking entrance t ...
As Fine Artists Diccon Spain and I worked on this proposal to re design a pedestrian subway in Kent. This subway design embraced natural light and changed the feeling of the entire space in a way not done before. The subway provided a walking entrance t ...
U9941
01.01.1993
No title, as the project only reached proposal stage - Rikrit Tiravanija
Unbuilt Roads
Proposal No. 1 (a) In the exhibition space, in proximation (as precisely as possible) to actual space. Replicate (Reconstruct) in architectural scale, space and in specific: detail, the office of the director of the museum. (b) All contents (in deta ...
Proposal No. 1 (a) In the exhibition space, in proximation (as precisely as possible) to actual space. Replicate (Reconstruct) in architectural scale, space and in specific: detail, the office of the director of the museum. (b) All contents (in deta ...