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.

Ceinture - Huang Ping Yong

Just Before Dawn - David Lamelas

Notebook Page: Home in the Form of a Banana with Garage,  - Claes Oldenburg

MAK - Wien  - Rosemarie Trockel

Engel-Detektor - Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaïndros

Electronic Theater - Laurie Anderson

Grand Concours International D'Architecture  - Mahe Gilles

Douglas Gordon - 5 year drive-by; proposal for a public artwork.

Tulips for Amsterdam - Isa Genzken

My House - Uri Tzaig

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W3549
12.05.2011
Portrait of a village in contemporary art - Eugen Alupopanu
WWW
My project proposal was "Portrait of a village in contemporary art" in which I wanted to use typical means of photography as document and translate them into visual art language, namely painting. In short, I wanted to photograph all the people in the vill ...
My project proposal was "Portrait of a village in contemporary art" in which I wanted to use typical means of photography as document and translate them into visual art language, namely painting. In short, I wanted to photograph all the people in the vill ...
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. ...
W5390
20.10.2012
Jesvin Yeo
WWW
Unrealized Project by Jesvin Yeo The initial intention of this project was to design and create a series of dolls to illustrate the dark period of Singapore in 1950s. When there had been more than 30 secret societies and almost everyday, there were gan ...
Unrealized Project by Jesvin Yeo The initial intention of this project was to design and create a series of dolls to illustrate the dark period of Singapore in 1950s. When there had been more than 30 secret societies and almost everyday, there were gan ...
W4869
09.08.2012
Round-trip - Hazem Harb
WWW
Round-trip series 2010 Harb observes a different kind of human suffering when confronted with migrant populations seeking refuge in Italy. He decided to take part in a popular migratory route from Rome to Barcelona commonly used by North African migran ...
Round-trip series 2010 Harb observes a different kind of human suffering when confronted with migrant populations seeking refuge in Italy. He decided to take part in a popular migratory route from Rome to Barcelona commonly used by North African migran ...
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 ...
W3595
13.05.2011
A Year of Tomorrows - Heman Chong
WWW
A Year of Tomorrows is a large scale public art work that will occur in New York over the time span of a year. 365 science fiction films will be selected and screened over 365 days over 365 locations in the city. In a nutshell, the project is formulated a ...
A Year of Tomorrows is a large scale public art work that will occur in New York over the time span of a year. 365 science fiction films will be selected and screened over 365 days over 365 locations in the city. In a nutshell, the project is formulated a ...
W4420
25.05.2011
Michel NORTH
WWW
Household aluminium foil sculptures - development of a "fa presto" technique in sculpture. Those are two examples of statues (image 1: 1978; image 2: 1985), unrealised in that sense that the technique used and developped by me about 50 years ago still do ...
Household aluminium foil sculptures - development of a "fa presto" technique in sculpture. Those are two examples of statues (image 1: 1978; image 2: 1985), unrealised in that sense that the technique used and developped by me about 50 years ago still do ...
W4748
27.05.2011
Retail Therapy - Double A Projects (A. Robles & A. Stein)
WWW
PROPOSAL Title of project: Retail Therapy By: Athena Robles and Anna Stein (aka Double A Projects) Similar to our public project Global Free Store, Retail Therapy is a non-commercial storefront and exhibition that would offer various service ...
PROPOSAL Title of project: Retail Therapy By: Athena Robles and Anna Stein (aka Double A Projects) Similar to our public project Global Free Store, Retail Therapy is a non-commercial storefront and exhibition that would offer various service ...
U9764
01.01.1974
Just Before Dawn - David Lamelas
Unbuilt Roads
Color/16m.m - 50 minutes/£800 JUST BEFORE DAWN by Davd Lamelas The project is basically an analysis of the elements by which narative primarily works on Film Narrative conventions. There is already something that we understand as "comme ...
Color/16m.m - 50 minutes/£800 JUST BEFORE DAWN by Davd Lamelas The project is basically an analysis of the elements by which narative primarily works on Film Narrative conventions. There is already something that we understand as "comme ...
W4973
24.08.2012
neither hidden nor visible - Jean-Charles Agboton-Jumeau
WWW
neither hidden nor visible project description: My project for the Berlin edition of AUP in collaboration with the Berliner Künstlerprogramm/ DAAD is to "document, display and/or archive" the catalogue titled January 5-31, 2009 with its label.... S ...
neither hidden nor visible project description: My project for the Berlin edition of AUP in collaboration with the Berliner Künstlerprogramm/ DAAD is to "document, display and/or archive" the catalogue titled January 5-31, 2009 with its label.... S ...
W3488
11.05.2011
5/10/20/50/100/200/500 Euro - Karakaya Hüseyin
WWW
5/10/20/50/100/200/500 Euro Material: Geld Schein, jeder Währung, Schwarze Tusche jeder Hersteller: Geld Schein in Schwarzer Tusche tränken, und trocknen. Herstellung: Den Geschwärzten Geld schein gegen den gleichen geld Wert und die gleichen ...
5/10/20/50/100/200/500 Euro Material: Geld Schein, jeder Währung, Schwarze Tusche jeder Hersteller: Geld Schein in Schwarzer Tusche tränken, und trocknen. Herstellung: Den Geschwärzten Geld schein gegen den gleichen geld Wert und die gleichen ...
W4974
24.08.2012
Y - l a n d - c a l c
WWW
Y - l a n d (speak: why land) is a purely visual project, which intends to promote the Israeli - Palestinian dialogue. The basis is given through a basic and joint Israeli - Palestinian cultural element: the hexagon. Y - L A N D is making the proposal, an ...
Y - l a n d (speak: why land) is a purely visual project, which intends to promote the Israeli - Palestinian dialogue. The basis is given through a basic and joint Israeli - Palestinian cultural element: the hexagon. Y - L A N D is making the proposal, an ...
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 ...
W4148
23.05.2011
The Ambassadors - Cornford & Cross
WWW
The Ambassadors 2001 We were invited to submit proposals for the 2002 Liverpool Biennial. Our proposal, titled The Ambassadors, would have consisted of a set of flags of those nations with which HM Government did not maintain diplomatic relations. The ...
The Ambassadors 2001 We were invited to submit proposals for the 2002 Liverpool Biennial. Our proposal, titled The Ambassadors, would have consisted of a set of flags of those nations with which HM Government did not maintain diplomatic relations. The ...
W5376
19.10.2012
FIRE! - Mary Behm-Steinberg
WWW
Statement for the bronze plaque (or documentation in the museum)*** Everywhere we look, the common person and the environment are under attack. Global warming; crop failures; poverty and starvation; the disappearance of the middle class and as America ...
Statement for the bronze plaque (or documentation in the museum)*** Everywhere we look, the common person and the environment are under attack. Global warming; crop failures; poverty and starvation; the disappearance of the middle class and as America ...
W5448
20.10.2012
BUILDING DRAWING I: “THE LITTLE EASE” - Ann Daly
WWW
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING I: “THE LITTLE EASE” Room within a room within a room. Smallest internal room is a plywood box, upright, approx. 6.5 ft tall and 3ft. wide. This internal box is drilled with 'viewholes' at various po ...
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING I: “THE LITTLE EASE” Room within a room within a room. Smallest internal room is a plywood box, upright, approx. 6.5 ft tall and 3ft. wide. This internal box is drilled with 'viewholes' at various po ...
W4185
24.05.2011
The Circumference is Everywhere - Daniel R Small
WWW
The Circumference is Everywhere, 2011 100 miles Northeast of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert lies a city abandoned in advance of itself, a ruin that is an aerial monument to misguided optimism that was conceived of by Nat Mendelsohn and intended to r ...
The Circumference is Everywhere, 2011 100 miles Northeast of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert lies a city abandoned in advance of itself, a ruin that is an aerial monument to misguided optimism that was conceived of by Nat Mendelsohn and intended to r ...
W4763
28.05.2011
Postpone - Postpone
WWW
Postpone is a creative agency, not yet created (but coming soon) gathering smart artistic workers operating in design, film and photography. The agency (T.M., O.Q., Y.B. and A. the secretary) are based in Oslo, London and Provence. Very near from some of ...
Postpone is a creative agency, not yet created (but coming soon) gathering smart artistic workers operating in design, film and photography. The agency (T.M., O.Q., Y.B. and A. the secretary) are based in Oslo, London and Provence. Very near from some of ...
W3790
18.05.2011
Bone-Grass Boy: The Secret Banks of the Conejos River (1995-2000)  - Ken Gonzales-Day
WWW
Original blurb: Bone-Grass Boy: The Secret Banks of the Conejos River (1995-2000) was a conceptually driven project that manifested itself in two ways: one, as a literary trope of the frontier novel of the late nineteenth century, and two, as a digitally ...
Original blurb: Bone-Grass Boy: The Secret Banks of the Conejos River (1995-2000) was a conceptually driven project that manifested itself in two ways: one, as a literary trope of the frontier novel of the late nineteenth century, and two, as a digitally ...
U9953
01.01.1974
Temple of the western buddha (1971 Kathmedu) - Herman de Vries
Unbuilt Roads
a circle of sacred trees in the east side of the circle a flat stone as seat uder a boddhi tree (ficus religiosa). other trees in the circle: ficus bengalensis, aegle marmelos,butea frondosa,melia azadirachta,prosopis spicigera,thevetia neriifolia, sa ...
a circle of sacred trees in the east side of the circle a flat stone as seat uder a boddhi tree (ficus religiosa). other trees in the circle: ficus bengalensis, aegle marmelos,butea frondosa,melia azadirachta,prosopis spicigera,thevetia neriifolia, sa ...
W4073
23.05.2011
Project: LA Film - Inez de Coo
WWW
With this project I will to fund the materials to start up a self-sufficient career as an artist, this mainly means acquiring a professional video camera. With this camera I will make a trip, accompanied by an actor I have worked with often, to Los Angele ...
With this project I will to fund the materials to start up a self-sufficient career as an artist, this mainly means acquiring a professional video camera. With this camera I will make a trip, accompanied by an actor I have worked with often, to Los Angele ...
W5410
20.10.2012
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) - Ann Fuata
WWW
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) is a series of 11 photographs of the artist holding a collection of domestic objects for an urban cleansing. These photographs were meant to become a unified image using a lenticular printing... ...
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) is a series of 11 photographs of the artist holding a collection of domestic objects for an urban cleansing. These photographs were meant to become a unified image using a lenticular printing... ...
W4105
23.05.2011
Dazzle Study #10 an onwards     - Håvard Pedersen
WWW
Dazzle Study #10 an onwards were to be a series of abstract artwork, both site specific work and as individual sculptures, based on the theory of Dazzle Camouflage. The camouflage, credited to the English painter Norman Wilkinson, where first used during ...
Dazzle Study #10 an onwards were to be a series of abstract artwork, both site specific work and as individual sculptures, based on the theory of Dazzle Camouflage. The camouflage, credited to the English painter Norman Wilkinson, where first used during ...
W5006
30.08.2012
Das soziale NetzKunstwerk - Karen Eliot
WWW
An internet forum/ social network for Open Source Art projects: Artists always have unrealized ideas - things that just slumber in sketchbooks forever. We want to create a website, where users can propose such projects and leave it open for others to adop ...
An internet forum/ social network for Open Source Art projects: Artists always have unrealized ideas - things that just slumber in sketchbooks forever. We want to create a website, where users can propose such projects and leave it open for others to adop ...
W3976
21.05.2011
Batya cavens
WWW
My body of work investigates, probes and puts to the test the boundaries of fine art. The concept is: traversing those formal academic and established definitions, and reaching into the academy of the street . ...
My body of work investigates, probes and puts to the test the boundaries of fine art. The concept is: traversing those formal academic and established definitions, and reaching into the academy of the street . ...
W4508
25.05.2011
American Flag Kits - Paula Stuttman
WWW
American Flag Kits During the summer of 1998 I completed 20 American Flag Kits. What fascinates me about flags (and this goes for any country’s flag) is the object itself is nothing but colored cloth arranged into a snappy design. It is human investm ...
American Flag Kits During the summer of 1998 I completed 20 American Flag Kits. What fascinates me about flags (and this goes for any country’s flag) is the object itself is nothing but colored cloth arranged into a snappy design. It is human investm ...