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.

WATERWORKS - Mona Hatoum

Niemandsland - Hans Haacke

"Free Space" - Michelangelo Pistoletto

Unrealized Turtles 1967 - Joseph Grigely

PROPOSAL FOR SEATTLE ARTS COMMISSION, IN PUBLIC - Chris Burden

Unbetitelt, Gänse-Projekt + Noch unbetitelt , " Durch den Mund sehen " + Kartoffeln  - Carsten Holler

Double Exposure 1995-6  - Dan Graham

Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder

Project pour le parc de sculpture de Vassiviére - Paul-Armand Gette

Ceinture - Huang Ping Yong

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4353
25.05.2011
Circular escalator - Ricardo Gomes
WWW
Circular escalator Through our research of the City of Perth’s master plan, the public success of the revitalization of Forrest Place not only depends upon the current restructuring already under way in the vicinity, but also upon the creation of a n ...
Circular escalator Through our research of the City of Perth’s master plan, the public success of the revitalization of Forrest Place not only depends upon the current restructuring already under way in the vicinity, but also upon the creation of a n ...
W3696
16.05.2011
Man thrown from his environment torned
pick up his mess
rhea his route
rolling in his fate - Alicia Larraín
WWW
The concept of this Art installation is to emphasize the segmentation or boundary as a subtle , ambiguous limit, which divides areas, confining people, separating them in the world they inhabit.  Allowing them to free themselves from their imprisonmen ...
The concept of this Art installation is to emphasize the segmentation or boundary as a subtle , ambiguous limit, which divides areas, confining people, separating them in the world they inhabit.  Allowing them to free themselves from their imprisonmen ...
W3714
17.05.2011
To other places, Coventry 1998 (project) - Mark Pimlott
WWW
The motorway ring road that surrounds Coventry city centre is read currently as a city wall. The city of Coventry is within it, and its conceptual wilderness is without. The space of the motorway has become a non- place, or rather a place whose legitimacy ...
The motorway ring road that surrounds Coventry city centre is read currently as a city wall. The city of Coventry is within it, and its conceptual wilderness is without. The space of the motorway has become a non- place, or rather a place whose legitimacy ...
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 ...
W5066
04.09.2012
Icelandic Elements - Alexander Zaklynsky
WWW
Curatorial Statement : Icelandic Elements - 4 Directions in Icelandic Painting Iceland o!ers the Artist an environment of extreme elements. "ese Elements indelibly imprint their impression. "e four Artists in this Exhibition represent these undercurrents ...
Curatorial Statement : Icelandic Elements - 4 Directions in Icelandic Painting Iceland o!ers the Artist an environment of extreme elements. "ese Elements indelibly imprint their impression. "e four Artists in this Exhibition represent these undercurrents ...
W3632
14.05.2011
(model for) REMOTE CONTROLLED STARS or HOW TO CHANGE YOUR DESTINY - Mary Sherman
WWW
Once someone came up to the oh-so dandy J. McNeil Whistler and exclaimed that they were both from Lowell and just a year apart – he was 68; Whistler, 67. To which Whistler replied - for all to hear, of course - “Very charming! And so you are 68 and we ...
Once someone came up to the oh-so dandy J. McNeil Whistler and exclaimed that they were both from Lowell and just a year apart – he was 68; Whistler, 67. To which Whistler replied - for all to hear, of course - “Very charming! And so you are 68 and we ...
W4688
26.05.2011
Kim Cook
WWW
Inspired by the sinking Carteret Islands, the Island Flotation Device responds to the changing environment by raising islands with the sea level. The IFD places inhabitants in control of the water level. A simple design allows them to control the amount o ...
Inspired by the sinking Carteret Islands, the Island Flotation Device responds to the changing environment by raising islands with the sea level. The IFD places inhabitants in control of the water level. A simple design allows them to control the amount o ...
W4693
26.05.2011
a flower every day - Nina Meledandri
WWW
a flower every day was a multi-media response to Marina Abramovic’s Museum of Modern Art retrospective and performance piece: The Artist Is Present (March 14-May 31 2010). It remains an unfinished project i often respond to the work of others, not ...
a flower every day was a multi-media response to Marina Abramovic’s Museum of Modern Art retrospective and performance piece: The Artist Is Present (March 14-May 31 2010). It remains an unfinished project i often respond to the work of others, not ...
U9978
01.01.1972
Social Resource Project For the Munich Olympics - Stephen Willats
Unbuilt Roads
The social resource project for the Munich Olympics is specifically directed at members of athletic clubs and the audience of athletic fixtures. The project aims to get participants to articulate the rules and perceptual structure of the athletic social e ...
The social resource project for the Munich Olympics is specifically directed at members of athletic clubs and the audience of athletic fixtures. The project aims to get participants to articulate the rules and perceptual structure of the athletic social e ...
W4526
25.05.2011
« game of survival in a cold store »  - Nathalie Talec
WWW
The « game of survival in a cold store » ( 1985 ) UNREALIZED PROJECT ARTIST’S STATEMENT I have always approached art as if it were an adventure story, adapting a screenplay, composing a score, or as the heroic experience of radical disobedience. ...
The « game of survival in a cold store » ( 1985 ) UNREALIZED PROJECT ARTIST’S STATEMENT I have always approached art as if it were an adventure story, adapting a screenplay, composing a score, or as the heroic experience of radical disobedience. ...
W5394
20.10.2012
THE SOUND BARRIER A DUTCH NATIONAL, MONUMENTAL & EPHEMERAL CITY ARTWORK - Harold Schellinx
WWW
THE SOUND BARRIER A DUTCH NATIONAL, MONUMENTAL & EPHEMERAL CITY ARTWORK BY GEERT-JAN HOBIJN, HAROLD SCHELLINX AND KEVIN SCHUIT FOR THE 55TH VENICE BIENNALE (JUNENOVEMBER 2013) About a hundred years ago the Italian Futurists cried out for a total break ...
THE SOUND BARRIER A DUTCH NATIONAL, MONUMENTAL & EPHEMERAL CITY ARTWORK BY GEERT-JAN HOBIJN, HAROLD SCHELLINX AND KEVIN SCHUIT FOR THE 55TH VENICE BIENNALE (JUNENOVEMBER 2013) About a hundred years ago the Italian Futurists cried out for a total break ...
W4435
25.05.2011
"Jello Cube," or "Eat Your Way In": - "Jello Cube," or "Eat Your Way In"
WWW
"Jello Cube," or "Eat Your Way In": A solid block of strawberry Jello will be installed on location at Actual Size Los Angeles. This sculpture/ installation will measure 1,690 cubic feet and will occupy the 2,250 cubic foot gallery with a 1 foot periph ...
"Jello Cube," or "Eat Your Way In": A solid block of strawberry Jello will be installed on location at Actual Size Los Angeles. This sculpture/ installation will measure 1,690 cubic feet and will occupy the 2,250 cubic foot gallery with a 1 foot periph ...
W4739
26.05.2011
Proposed Future - Ann Marie Webb
WWW
Proposed Future Architecture is the most visible sign of a society's faith and trust in the future. The ability to move forward and construct a future is greatly effected by how our views are framed. This work explores the built landsc ...
Proposed Future Architecture is the most visible sign of a society's faith and trust in the future. The ability to move forward and construct a future is greatly effected by how our views are framed. This work explores the built landsc ...
W3837
19.05.2011
Where are the California Rolls from? - Maki Na Kamura
WWW
To exhibit art works which revision the Japonisume. The title of the show is "Where are the California Rolls from"? My idea is the exploration of a non-literal and ahistorical portrayal of landscape, which has been presumed as most unspectaclar genre o ...
To exhibit art works which revision the Japonisume. The title of the show is "Where are the California Rolls from"? My idea is the exploration of a non-literal and ahistorical portrayal of landscape, which has been presumed as most unspectaclar genre o ...
W5291
16.10.2012
Die asporas - Lior Wilentzik
WWW
Die asporas « Young Israeli artists in Berlin« group installations curator: Lior Wilentzik www.dieasporas.com contact:dieasporas@gmail.com 015126857385 Recent years have been marked with a rising trend of young Israeli artists immigrating to Berlin. Par ...
Die asporas « Young Israeli artists in Berlin« group installations curator: Lior Wilentzik www.dieasporas.com contact:dieasporas@gmail.com 015126857385 Recent years have been marked with a rising trend of young Israeli artists immigrating to Berlin. Par ...
W3493
11.05.2011
SEX CHAT KARAOKE - Sally-Ann Blaise
WWW
SEX CHAT KARAOKE A Selection of TEXT collected by artist through late night sex chat rooms is printed in duplicate and arranged at the corner of a stage, upon which a small FUNK BAND is playing a GROOVE. audience participate by selecting text in tandem ...
SEX CHAT KARAOKE A Selection of TEXT collected by artist through late night sex chat rooms is printed in duplicate and arranged at the corner of a stage, upon which a small FUNK BAND is playing a GROOVE. audience participate by selecting text in tandem ...
W3584
13.05.2011
Proposal to an open call for the 2011 Emdash Award - Boris Dornbusch
WWW
The following project was a proposal to an open call for the 2011 Emdash Award. However, it is an idea I have developed in response to any Art Fair: A smaller-scale replica of the Frieze's exhibition tent is pitched in the exhibition pavilion. ...
The following project was a proposal to an open call for the 2011 Emdash Award. However, it is an idea I have developed in response to any Art Fair: A smaller-scale replica of the Frieze's exhibition tent is pitched in the exhibition pavilion. ...
W4957
20.08.2012
Pelican Bay maximum-security glass prison - Eugene Soler
WWW
California’s Pelican Bay maximum security prison is more than 150% over capacity with a high number of inmates re-offending after released. Located within a nearby clearing of forest, the proposal is to create a facility for inmate’s rehabilitation by ...
California’s Pelican Bay maximum security prison is more than 150% over capacity with a high number of inmates re-offending after released. Located within a nearby clearing of forest, the proposal is to create a facility for inmate’s rehabilitation by ...
W5173
26.09.2012
Jugoslav Mitevski
WWW
W4143
23.05.2011
Brighton Seafront Public Art Commission - Cornford & Cross
WWW
Our proposal for the ‘Brighton Seafront Public Art Commission’ took as a starting point the representation, myth and collective memory of Brighton, England, as a Bank Holiday destination for displays of public disorder by rival gangs of ‘Mods’ and ...
Our proposal for the ‘Brighton Seafront Public Art Commission’ took as a starting point the representation, myth and collective memory of Brighton, England, as a Bank Holiday destination for displays of public disorder by rival gangs of ‘Mods’ and ...
W3794
18.05.2011
The Local Tourist Project - Tempestt Hazel
WWW
The Local Tourist Project Proposed for the Apex Art Franchise Call for 400-word Curatorial Proposals Tempestt Hazel | Chicago, 2010 Traveling from a place of familiarity to explore new territory has driven technology, expansion and economy on a globa ...
The Local Tourist Project Proposed for the Apex Art Franchise Call for 400-word Curatorial Proposals Tempestt Hazel | Chicago, 2010 Traveling from a place of familiarity to explore new territory has driven technology, expansion and economy on a globa ...
W3793
18.05.2011
Bathhaus - Guillermo Creus
WWW
This project was originally submitted to De Appel Curatorial Programme and was rejected in its original format (my original idea was to have the project proposal to be the project in itself). Freida Abtan, Peter Dobill and Aïda Ruilova. Curated by ...
This project was originally submitted to De Appel Curatorial Programme and was rejected in its original format (my original idea was to have the project proposal to be the project in itself). Freida Abtan, Peter Dobill and Aïda Ruilova. Curated by ...
U9567
01.01.1995
Museum - Katharina Fritsch
Unbuilt Roads
Beschreibung des Modells bitte dem Katalog "Katharina Fritsch, Museum, Biennale Venedig 1995" entnehmen. (Erster Abschnitt: Modell 1:10) Der Katalog ist bei Cantz in Stuttgart gedruckt. Previous Publications (?) Katalog der Biennale Venedig 1995 (s ...
Beschreibung des Modells bitte dem Katalog "Katharina Fritsch, Museum, Biennale Venedig 1995" entnehmen. (Erster Abschnitt: Modell 1:10) Der Katalog ist bei Cantz in Stuttgart gedruckt. Previous Publications (?) Katalog der Biennale Venedig 1995 (s ...
W5305
17.10.2012
Otherhedron - Lucy Pullen, Carolina Trigo
WWW
“Otherhedron is a trip. From pole to pole, the object moves around the world like a pebble rolling gently on the ground. Demarcating locations as nodes or points in the globe that, when joined, trace a plane much like one of the sides of Otherhedron." ...
“Otherhedron is a trip. From pole to pole, the object moves around the world like a pebble rolling gently on the ground. Demarcating locations as nodes or points in the globe that, when joined, trace a plane much like one of the sides of Otherhedron." ...
W5160
24.09.2012
See-Throughs - Anton Savov and Barak Reiser
WWW
SEE-THROUGHS A project proposal by Anton Savov and Barak Reiser Frankfurt, 2011 See-Throughs is a proposal for a pavilion to be situated on a square in a metropolitan location during the winter months - a time when the city’s open-air spaces are ...
SEE-THROUGHS A project proposal by Anton Savov and Barak Reiser Frankfurt, 2011 See-Throughs is a proposal for a pavilion to be situated on a square in a metropolitan location during the winter months - a time when the city’s open-air spaces are ...
W5134
19.09.2012
Full Tr, Full Rf : The body posthuman, vol.1  - Mustafa Kemal Yurttas
WWW
The project proposal “Full Tr, Full Rf : The body posthuman, vol.1” highlightens the key concepts of identity, desire, simulation, cyborg through the materiality and immateriality of transformation, transition, transparency, transposition, trace a ...
The project proposal “Full Tr, Full Rf : The body posthuman, vol.1” highlightens the key concepts of identity, desire, simulation, cyborg through the materiality and immateriality of transformation, transition, transparency, transposition, trace a ...