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.

"400" - Manfred Pernice

Right-of-Privacy Release - Tony Oursler

Square Depression - Bruce Nauman

Catwalk - Sylive Fleury

PROPOSAL FOR SEATTLE ARTS COMMISSION, IN PUBLIC - Chris Burden

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

Projets non réalisés: - Daniel Buren

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

Monumento all'agricoltura 1969-70 - Alighiero Boetti

Museum - Katharina Fritsch

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4407
25.05.2011
The Great Pyramid - Ingo Niermann
WWW
The Great Pyramid—a gradually growing tomb for potentially every human being in the world. Every stone in this pyramid could house the ashes of a deceased individual. It would grow, layer per layer, over decades and centuries. ...
The Great Pyramid—a gradually growing tomb for potentially every human being in the world. Every stone in this pyramid could house the ashes of a deceased individual. It would grow, layer per layer, over decades and centuries. ...
W5122
18.09.2012
Humans Make Mountains - Stefano
WWW
my project is paint a series of works witch explore the relationship between humans and landscapes. All info on my pdf catalouge ...
my project is paint a series of works witch explore the relationship between humans and landscapes. All info on my pdf catalouge ...
W4936
19.08.2012
Niddah: 14 days - Gabriella Boros
WWW
As I turned 50, my self-image as a female began to change with the changes in my body. As I was approaching menopause, it interested me to understand why there was such a negative approach to female purity in my religion. I began to explore the Judaic pra ...
As I turned 50, my self-image as a female began to change with the changes in my body. As I was approaching menopause, it interested me to understand why there was such a negative approach to female purity in my religion. I began to explore the Judaic pra ...
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 ...
W4485
25.05.2011
transients - rubens mano
WWW
transients, 1997 a good proportion of the images produced up to now reveals the search for some kind of relationship with the sky, and result in a set of actions which allows us to understand how we perceive it and react to its activities – f ...
transients, 1997 a good proportion of the images produced up to now reveals the search for some kind of relationship with the sky, and result in a set of actions which allows us to understand how we perceive it and react to its activities – f ...
W4895
10.08.2012
CayucoTours - Ralph Kistler
WWW
Project Name: CayucoTours Artist: Ralph Kistler Email: check-in@subtours.com Webpage: http://www.subtours.com CayucoTours was a selected project for the 3.Biennale of the Canary Islands that ...
Project Name: CayucoTours Artist: Ralph Kistler Email: check-in@subtours.com Webpage: http://www.subtours.com CayucoTours was a selected project for the 3.Biennale of the Canary Islands that ...
W4001
22.05.2011
Michael Crowe
WWW
A proposal for Tate Modern which is a bit too costly at the moment. ...
A proposal for Tate Modern which is a bit too costly at the moment. ...
U9892
16.02.1997
Fax Transmission - Raymond Pettibone and Jason Rhoades
Unbuilt Roads
Fax to: HANS-ULRICH OBRIST From Jason Rhoades Greeting HAN-ULRICH Well the project sounded great but I didn't have any unfulfilled projects that I sad appropriate for the project, but just last sunday I was at the race track with raymon pettibone ...
Fax to: HANS-ULRICH OBRIST From Jason Rhoades Greeting HAN-ULRICH Well the project sounded great but I didn't have any unfulfilled projects that I sad appropriate for the project, but just last sunday I was at the race track with raymon pettibone ...
W3827
19.05.2011
Ephemeral - Tomasz Domanski
WWW
I call my "ice actions", consisting in placing objects in principal downtown squares, the Monuments of Time. I find this title appropriately noble, considering in whose honor they are erected. In each case, I seek an adequate form to celebrate time as wel ...
I call my "ice actions", consisting in placing objects in principal downtown squares, the Monuments of Time. I find this title appropriately noble, considering in whose honor they are erected. In each case, I seek an adequate form to celebrate time as wel ...
W4197
24.05.2011
HOME–WORLD - Madeleine Preston & Silvija Lomanaite
WWW
HOME–WORLD, The Sustainable Debate – Project Space proposal Silvija Lomanaite – Interior Designer and Madeleine Preston – Artist We met while working at the Whitehouse Institute of Design and found a common interest in contemporary issues in a ...
HOME–WORLD, The Sustainable Debate – Project Space proposal Silvija Lomanaite – Interior Designer and Madeleine Preston – Artist We met while working at the Whitehouse Institute of Design and found a common interest in contemporary issues in a ...
W5430
20.10.2012
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY - Marcin Chomicki
WWW
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY New cities are not established any more. The only way to build an ideal city is to be radical in means. The idea of the project is to trace an axis of symmetry and pull down half of the city. A mirror reflection is constructed to co ...
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY New cities are not established any more. The only way to build an ideal city is to be radical in means. The idea of the project is to trace an axis of symmetry and pull down half of the city. A mirror reflection is constructed to co ...
W3702
17.05.2011
The Ninth Circle of Obsession - the project for group exhibition - Izabela Ołdak
WWW
Obsession is a mental state, the inability to free yourself from intrusive thoughts, images, or from performing the same actions. Obsession is also a type of anxiety disorder, reflected by the presence of irrational thoughts and impulses, which are accom ...
Obsession is a mental state, the inability to free yourself from intrusive thoughts, images, or from performing the same actions. Obsession is also a type of anxiety disorder, reflected by the presence of irrational thoughts and impulses, which are accom ...
W3685
16.05.2011
Core Dump for a Crashed Planet  - Julian Priest
WWW
Core Dump for a Crashed Planet was a proposal for the 2008 Climate Clock project in San Jose, California. The brief was for a public art piece that created a feedback mechanism to make the process of climate change visible to the public. ...
Core Dump for a Crashed Planet was a proposal for the 2008 Climate Clock project in San Jose, California. The brief was for a public art piece that created a feedback mechanism to make the process of climate change visible to the public. ...
W3931
20.05.2011
Random Identity Forum (“RIF”) - ANNA LASCARI
WWW
The “Identity Flag” can be reviewed at: www.annalascari.net/RIF Project Description “RIF” (Random Identity Forum) is an interactive installation that allows users to participate in and comment on the political and socio-economic policie ...
The “Identity Flag” can be reviewed at: www.annalascari.net/RIF Project Description “RIF” (Random Identity Forum) is an interactive installation that allows users to participate in and comment on the political and socio-economic policie ...
W4160
23.05.2011
Absolut Hypocrisy II - simon tyszko
WWW
Absolut Hypocrisy II reference: Notes further to a number of meetings at both the Bolivian and Venezuelan embassies in London Dearest Zuleiva (cultural attaché Venezuela, London) The projects i am proposing are to be a high profile individual ...
Absolut Hypocrisy II reference: Notes further to a number of meetings at both the Bolivian and Venezuelan embassies in London Dearest Zuleiva (cultural attaché Venezuela, London) The projects i am proposing are to be a high profile individual ...
W4025
22.05.2011
Guardians of Art  - Holly Crawford
WWW
Proposal: Inside Standing/Conversations with the Guardians of Art Proposed to the Tate Modern, sent to Ben B. I meet and discussed this and screening of Critical Conversations in a Limo. Guardians of Art Museum guards are the human face ...
Proposal: Inside Standing/Conversations with the Guardians of Art Proposed to the Tate Modern, sent to Ben B. I meet and discussed this and screening of Critical Conversations in a Limo. Guardians of Art Museum guards are the human face ...
W5051
03.09.2012
Forest Museum - Taller Basico de Arquitectura [TBA]
WWW
Forest Museum (2010) A forest inside another forest The museum floor learns from the characteristic concentricity of a tree trunk. As the different stages of its life, it contains the museum spaces: reception, temporary and permanent exhibitions... ...
Forest Museum (2010) A forest inside another forest The museum floor learns from the characteristic concentricity of a tree trunk. As the different stages of its life, it contains the museum spaces: reception, temporary and permanent exhibitions... ...
W3666
15.05.2011
Sand Fall - Eldon Garnet
WWW
This Holocaust Memorial is comprised of two major elements: an above grade, open pavilion; a below grade, Sand Fall. Although not immediately apparent, the disjunctive, stainless steel pavilion is constructed of components of the Star of David. The ...
This Holocaust Memorial is comprised of two major elements: an above grade, open pavilion; a below grade, Sand Fall. Although not immediately apparent, the disjunctive, stainless steel pavilion is constructed of components of the Star of David. The ...
W5486
24.10.2012
Top Ten Words I Am Sick of Seeing on Artists Statements - Andrea Liu
WWW
liminal space “in its final iteration” itinerant practice “rupture” or “suture” post-Fordism the performative dimension of language seeks to negotiate the tension between X and Y seeks to problemati ...
liminal space “in its final iteration” itinerant practice “rupture” or “suture” post-Fordism the performative dimension of language seeks to negotiate the tension between X and Y seeks to problemati ...
W4310
24.05.2011
The “Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine" - Reynard Loki
WWW
The Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology An unrealized project by Reynard Loki http://reynardloki.blogspot.com/ The “Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology” is an unrealized project consisti ...
The Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology An unrealized project by Reynard Loki http://reynardloki.blogspot.com/ The “Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology” is an unrealized project consisti ...
W3498
11.05.2011
John Ryan
WWW
A meek critique of ambiguous language used in art criticism and statements, I created a list of advice for artists, composed of cut outs from horoscopes. ...
A meek critique of ambiguous language used in art criticism and statements, I created a list of advice for artists, composed of cut outs from horoscopes. ...
W4689
26.05.2011
UNSOLICITED - Laszlo Marsch
WWW
UNSOLICITED Dear H.U.O. and G.T., I own a copy of "Unbuild Roads". It is exciting that "residuals" and "failures" see the daylight. Going through the book and reading the intro it is obvious that most of the projects, even if unrealized, were based on c ...
UNSOLICITED Dear H.U.O. and G.T., I own a copy of "Unbuild Roads". It is exciting that "residuals" and "failures" see the daylight. Going through the book and reading the intro it is obvious that most of the projects, even if unrealized, were based on c ...
W4712
26.05.2011
LISTE ROUGE [MEMORIAL FOR THE DISAPPEARED]  - spmb [Eduardo Aquino & Karen Shanski]
WWW
LISTE ROUGE [MEMORIAL FOR THE DISAPPEARED] is a proposal by spmb for the City of Geneva’s 2011 Neons Competition. Starting from the observation that the Geneva Ecological Region has lost seven flower species to urban development in the past decades, we ...
LISTE ROUGE [MEMORIAL FOR THE DISAPPEARED] is a proposal by spmb for the City of Geneva’s 2011 Neons Competition. Starting from the observation that the Geneva Ecological Region has lost seven flower species to urban development in the past decades, we ...
W4863
09.08.2012
Zeitstück - Alexander Hahn
WWW
Zeitstück Video-Installation von Alexander Hahn, vers. Juni 05, 1996 Beschreibung Entstehung: Eingeladene Wettbewerbseingabe Kunst am Bau Neubau ETH Leonardstrasse Zürich. Nicht realisiert. Die Jury befürchtete damals, die Studenten könnten s ...
Zeitstück Video-Installation von Alexander Hahn, vers. Juni 05, 1996 Beschreibung Entstehung: Eingeladene Wettbewerbseingabe Kunst am Bau Neubau ETH Leonardstrasse Zürich. Nicht realisiert. Die Jury befürchtete damals, die Studenten könnten s ...
W4844
08.08.2012
Oliver Klimpel
WWW
Concept for Urban Intervention / Wayfinding / Local Indication of former Stasi Detention Centre in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, a compound of the State Security in East-Germany. City of Berlin, invited competition entry, 2006 Shortlisted, Not Realised ...
Concept for Urban Intervention / Wayfinding / Local Indication of former Stasi Detention Centre in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, a compound of the State Security in East-Germany. City of Berlin, invited competition entry, 2006 Shortlisted, Not Realised ...
W4243
24.05.2011
Acts of appearance – ‘side cabinets at Holden Gallery’ - Ana Luisa Cruz
WWW
Acts of appearance – ‘side cabinets at Holden Gallery’ http://sidecabinetsatholdengallery.blogspot.com/ I have ‘virtually’ placed myself in an existing gallery for a couple of weeks, The Holden Gallery, Manchester, using a virtual positioni ...
Acts of appearance – ‘side cabinets at Holden Gallery’ http://sidecabinetsatholdengallery.blogspot.com/ I have ‘virtually’ placed myself in an existing gallery for a couple of weeks, The Holden Gallery, Manchester, using a virtual positioni ...