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.

City Hall Tower Night Ilumination - Krysztof Wodiczko

Square Depression - Bruce Nauman

The World is a Theater and we each have a role - Louise Bourgeois

Brücke Wein-Kanal Arch. Hermann Czech, Wein - Franz West

Passage - Richard Wentworth

Monument to Democracy - Kounellis

A House of Dust - Alison Knowles

Isometric Projection - Sol Lewitt

Fax Transmission - Raymond Pettibone and Jason Rhoades

Electronic Theater - Laurie Anderson

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W3482
11.05.2011
„Die schönste Geschichte der Welt“ („The most beautiful story ever“) - Sandra Meisel
WWW
Unrealized Project by Sandra Meisel, 2010 „Die schönste Geschichte der Welt“ („The most beautiful story ever“) a site specific installation consisting of two large-scale installations „Himalaya“ and „Karussell“, as well as a series o ...
Unrealized Project by Sandra Meisel, 2010 „Die schönste Geschichte der Welt“ („The most beautiful story ever“) a site specific installation consisting of two large-scale installations „Himalaya“ and „Karussell“, as well as a series o ...
W4256
24.05.2011
APOTHEOSIS - Kristin Jones / Andrew Ginzel
WWW
KRISTIN JONES / ANDREW GINZEL APOTHEOSIS, 1994 Proposal for Pier 32, Hudson River, New York City ,Urban Paradise: Gardens in the City, Public Art Fund, Paine Webber Gallery, New York, NY (catalogue) Project Description: We are ch ...
KRISTIN JONES / ANDREW GINZEL APOTHEOSIS, 1994 Proposal for Pier 32, Hudson River, New York City ,Urban Paradise: Gardens in the City, Public Art Fund, Paine Webber Gallery, New York, NY (catalogue) Project Description: We are ch ...
U9701
01.01.1994
Festival du film de famille - Pierre Huyghe
Unbuilt Roads
Le Festival du film de famille est un événement qui séted sur 3 jours, c'est le pant de dipart d'une dénie partagée qui peut se répéter sur plusieurs [arnisé?]. Une communanté affactive [illisible] son [basan?] d'histories par sa propre producti ...
Le Festival du film de famille est un événement qui séted sur 3 jours, c'est le pant de dipart d'une dénie partagée qui peut se répéter sur plusieurs [arnisé?]. Une communanté affactive [illisible] son [basan?] d'histories par sa propre producti ...
W5415
20.10.2012
Process - Aglae Cortés
WWW
Process Landscape as the primary space entity appreciation. Abstracting the main elements like the horizon, the accumulation of matter. There are a play on the scale, and light elements to reveal landscapes that remain invisible in the everyday. The ...
Process Landscape as the primary space entity appreciation. Abstracting the main elements like the horizon, the accumulation of matter. There are a play on the scale, and light elements to reveal landscapes that remain invisible in the everyday. The ...
W4279
24.05.2011
"Mr. Quixote"  - AGGTELEK
WWW
Monument of 50 meters high rehearsing a new "Don Quixote" titled "Mr. Quixote". "Mr. Quixote" tells the story of the adventures of Mr. Quixote through the 21st century through the vision of a geek. ...
Monument of 50 meters high rehearsing a new "Don Quixote" titled "Mr. Quixote". "Mr. Quixote" tells the story of the adventures of Mr. Quixote through the 21st century through the vision of a geek. ...
W3550
12.05.2011
Diary Project 2011 - Anna-Marya Tompa
WWW
I have been working with a series of images in which I merge drawings with photographs. In some instants the drawing has a direct relationship, a one-to-one interpretation of the same image, one through my "drawing" eye, the other through the photographi ...
I have been working with a series of images in which I merge drawings with photographs. In some instants the drawing has a direct relationship, a one-to-one interpretation of the same image, one through my "drawing" eye, the other through the photographi ...
W4794
14.06.2011
The Biggest Painting - Joost van Oss
WWW
The biggest painting. ...
W4607
25.05.2011
Latent Online gallery of unrealised art works launched  - Blaithin Quinn - Latent
WWW
Latent Online gallery of unrealised art works launched Press Release: Dublin, Ireland; 25 May 2011 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Latent is a curated, web-based gallery that reveals the often forgotten, postponed or edited ideas of unrealised art works. ...
Latent Online gallery of unrealised art works launched Press Release: Dublin, Ireland; 25 May 2011 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Latent is a curated, web-based gallery that reveals the often forgotten, postponed or edited ideas of unrealised art works. ...
W3858
19.05.2011
Cheryl K. Shurtleff
WWW
I propose to construct cat hair figures from fur collected from the cats housed at the Idaho Humane Shelter over a period of time. In order to realize this project I propose to visit the Humane Shelter twice per week over a period of one month. I will pet ...
I propose to construct cat hair figures from fur collected from the cats housed at the Idaho Humane Shelter over a period of time. In order to realize this project I propose to visit the Humane Shelter twice per week over a period of one month. I will pet ...
W4235
24.05.2011
STRESS - Fred Perie
WWW
STRESS is fictitious industrial construction, whose only aim is to draw a perfectly straight red line that strikes through a wide landscape on the banks of Loire river estuary. It is drawn over 2 km between an oil refinery and some isolated grove, where i ...
STRESS is fictitious industrial construction, whose only aim is to draw a perfectly straight red line that strikes through a wide landscape on the banks of Loire river estuary. It is drawn over 2 km between an oil refinery and some isolated grove, where i ...
W4666
25.05.2011
Carlos Lérias
WWW
The fragments presented here by the Migratory Museum, are the parts of a live cast mask of my face. Moved on in one hand by the incessant obsession with disappearance, invisibility, forgetfulness and nomadism, and on the other hand by the museum’s troub ...
The fragments presented here by the Migratory Museum, are the parts of a live cast mask of my face. Moved on in one hand by the incessant obsession with disappearance, invisibility, forgetfulness and nomadism, and on the other hand by the museum’s troub ...
W3610
13.05.2011
Click An inverted press conference.  - Tina Willgren
WWW
From the opposing sides of a conference room, two groups of press photographers, videographers and sound technicians (20-40 persons in all) enter. Their aim is to document the movements, poses, sounds and facial expressions of the other group, as well as ...
From the opposing sides of a conference room, two groups of press photographers, videographers and sound technicians (20-40 persons in all) enter. Their aim is to document the movements, poses, sounds and facial expressions of the other group, as well as ...
W4573
25.05.2011
Emily Puthoff
WWW
W5169
26.09.2012
The winnipeg free museum  - Kendra Place
WWW
The winnipeg free museum (2009–2010) was an impossible, dividual artists' project. If Museums are being built as walled inspiration, promising experience and claiming to face the (carceral/) future, would the non-built or dematerialized, situated within ...
The winnipeg free museum (2009–2010) was an impossible, dividual artists' project. If Museums are being built as walled inspiration, promising experience and claiming to face the (carceral/) future, would the non-built or dematerialized, situated within ...
W3998
21.05.2011
A GARDEN INSIDE INSTITUTIONS - Jana Leo De Blas
WWW
GREEN & WET Angel Borrego & Jana Leo Repetition and Acumulation. The wall is made out of individual plants. Each plant is pretty similar to another But, at the same time, different. For long term installations, a person could sponsors one or more p ...
GREEN & WET Angel Borrego & Jana Leo Repetition and Acumulation. The wall is made out of individual plants. Each plant is pretty similar to another But, at the same time, different. For long term installations, a person could sponsors one or more p ...
W3671
15.05.2011
Before The Gates Of Our Vacant Future - Joseph Shaeffer
WWW
Project initially proposed for the Garage Center For Contemporary Culture in Moscow, Russia which is housed in the historic Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage designed by Konstantin Melnikov in 1926. “Before the gates of our vacant future.” Thus reads the ope ...
Project initially proposed for the Garage Center For Contemporary Culture in Moscow, Russia which is housed in the historic Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage designed by Konstantin Melnikov in 1926. “Before the gates of our vacant future.” Thus reads the ope ...
W4780
03.06.2011
Emily Lockren
WWW
I have attached one collage and one edited image of unrealized artwork based around the idea of my paintings displayed on a bookshelf with only the edges visible like the spines of books. I envisioned a library of paintings, but never had the rescources t ...
I have attached one collage and one edited image of unrealized artwork based around the idea of my paintings displayed on a bookshelf with only the edges visible like the spines of books. I envisioned a library of paintings, but never had the rescources t ...
U9665
01.01.1967
Unrealized Turtles 1967 - Joseph Grigely
Unbuilt Roads
Basically, a short history about why I never became an illustrator of turtles - of wild animals - or of anything else At Birchland Park School, Mrs. Donahue taught art and Mrs. Corliss taught music. The art classes were okay because I drew turtles all ...
Basically, a short history about why I never became an illustrator of turtles - of wild animals - or of anything else At Birchland Park School, Mrs. Donahue taught art and Mrs. Corliss taught music. The art classes were okay because I drew turtles all ...
W5014
30.08.2012
Spiral Cloud above Spiral Jetty. - Soren Dahlgaard
WWW
Title: Spiral Cloud above Spiral Jetty. Please find text and images attached in the same jpg document. Thank you, Soren Dahlgaard, Copenhagen. ...
Title: Spiral Cloud above Spiral Jetty. Please find text and images attached in the same jpg document. Thank you, Soren Dahlgaard, Copenhagen. ...
W4745
26.05.2011
Solar City Tower for Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics - Rafael Schmidt, RAFAA
WWW
International Architecture Competition for the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. „The project under consideration should be located in the bay of the city of Rio de Janeiro on the Cotonduba Island, which is the obligatory approach for aircraft la ...
International Architecture Competition for the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. „The project under consideration should be located in the bay of the city of Rio de Janeiro on the Cotonduba Island, which is the obligatory approach for aircraft la ...
W4276
24.05.2011
Proposal for the New Jersey State Aquarium - Kristin Jones / Andrew Ginzel
WWW
Proposal for the New Jersey State Aquarium Camden, New Jersey ...
Proposal for the New Jersey State Aquarium Camden, New Jersey ...
W4161
23.05.2011
Failure - Pauline Hanson
WWW
http://www.severalpursuits.org/?pageid=72 http://www.severalpursuits.org/?pageid=78 ...
http://www.severalpursuits.org/?pageid=72 http://www.severalpursuits.org/?pageid=78 ...
W3819
19.05.2011
raphaele cohen-bacry
WWW
This is an example of the 50 dolls I made between 2007 and 2010. I used ‘’ugly’’, standardized dolls made in China and was interested in turning them into unique ‘’hand-made’’ dolls with a lot of personality and character. Each measures 4X ...
This is an example of the 50 dolls I made between 2007 and 2010. I used ‘’ugly’’, standardized dolls made in China and was interested in turning them into unique ‘’hand-made’’ dolls with a lot of personality and character. Each measures 4X ...
W5461
21.10.2012
Living DNA - Nobuho Nagasawa
WWW
Project for UCLA Hospital, Los Angeles, California © Nobuho Nagasawa Concept: All living things contain DNA. The main role of DNA in the cell is the storage of information. It is often compared to a blueprint, since it contains the instructions ...
Project for UCLA Hospital, Los Angeles, California © Nobuho Nagasawa Concept: All living things contain DNA. The main role of DNA in the cell is the storage of information. It is often compared to a blueprint, since it contains the instructions ...
W5218
07.10.2012
Batta Mon - OKAMOTO Mitsuhiro
WWW
In this case, I mean unaccomplished exhibition period as 'unrealized project'. After the show started, Louis Vuitton has asked KOBE FASHION MUSEUM to stop showing my artwork 'Batta Mon', to stop selling the show catalog and also to remove the show poster ...
In this case, I mean unaccomplished exhibition period as 'unrealized project'. After the show started, Louis Vuitton has asked KOBE FASHION MUSEUM to stop showing my artwork 'Batta Mon', to stop selling the show catalog and also to remove the show poster ...
W5256
12.10.2012
The vaporization of 500 liters of perfume over a landlocked city - Dane Mitchell
WWW
Unrealized Project Dane Mitchell The vaporization of 500 liters of perfume over a landlocked city. The scent would predominantly contain ambergris, a substance produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated by sperm whales. ...
Unrealized Project Dane Mitchell The vaporization of 500 liters of perfume over a landlocked city. The scent would predominantly contain ambergris, a substance produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated by sperm whales. ...