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.

"Free Space" - Michelangelo Pistoletto

den anonymen Tod ausstellen - Gregor Schneider

Visual Poem: Cap I Cua - Joan Brossa

Niemandsland - Hans Haacke

PROPOSALl + VOORSTEL - Guillame Bijl

Social Resource Project For the Munich Olympics - Stephen Willats

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

Relatum (Iron Plate and Stone) - Lee Ufan

Unrealized project for Tate Gallery + ICA, 1969 - Gilbert and George

Making for Art - 100 Unsucceeded Presentation - 1995, 1996,  - Yutaka Sone

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
#
Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
U10007
01.09.1995
Merci, Thank you, Danke: Les 2 sujets  - Thomas Hirschorn
Unbuilt Roads
Pour les affichés 4x3 devant l'immeuble Valois/Saint-Honoré je propose deux sujets issus de la serie "merci, Thank you, Danke". Ces sujets sont deux collages sur carton d'un format assez petit (eviron 20x40 pour l'un et 20x40 pour l'autre) Cette serie j ...
Pour les affichés 4x3 devant l'immeuble Valois/Saint-Honoré je propose deux sujets issus de la serie "merci, Thank you, Danke". Ces sujets sont deux collages sur carton d'un format assez petit (eviron 20x40 pour l'un et 20x40 pour l'autre) Cette serie j ...
W4179
24.05.2011
Queen Anne Island  - Kurt Kiefer
WWW
Queen Anne Island As the earth warms, the waters rise and our world becomes a very different place, we need to start making the changes to our cities, towns and neighborhoods that will allow us to move seamlessly into new realities. Locavorism will be ...
Queen Anne Island As the earth warms, the waters rise and our world becomes a very different place, we need to start making the changes to our cities, towns and neighborhoods that will allow us to move seamlessly into new realities. Locavorism will be ...
U9646
16.01.1997
Dog Jaw Monument - A Futurist Tele-introject - Leon Golub
Unbuilt Roads
Years: A.D 2096, A.D. 2777, A.D. 3096 See drawing (to be submitted if desired) note: time - 2096 - becoming a critical exponential extension of the artist's hand (eventual reasons why the work has not been realised) Project has not reached a cri ...
Years: A.D 2096, A.D. 2777, A.D. 3096 See drawing (to be submitted if desired) note: time - 2096 - becoming a critical exponential extension of the artist's hand (eventual reasons why the work has not been realised) Project has not reached a cri ...
W4253
24.05.2011
Minute of Power  - Arcady Kotler
WWW
Arcady Kotler Minute of Power The project Minute of Power is an interactive installation inviting viewers to stand on top of a watchtower to observe their surroundings through the scope a rifle. In this work I investigate how the experience of hand ...
Arcady Kotler Minute of Power The project Minute of Power is an interactive installation inviting viewers to stand on top of a watchtower to observe their surroundings through the scope a rifle. In this work I investigate how the experience of hand ...
W4155
23.05.2011
Got to the Studio - Oli Sorenson
WWW
The “Got to the Studio” series is a yet-to-be realised project, recording several failed attempts to make a masterpiece, or similar great work of art, either through lack of talent or simple laziness. ...
The “Got to the Studio” series is a yet-to-be realised project, recording several failed attempts to make a masterpiece, or similar great work of art, either through lack of talent or simple laziness. ...
W3849
19.05.2011
The Trace of A Production Site - YU-HANG HUANG
WWW
is a performance based installation, which deals with memory, moving and production. The installation contains my hand-made copies of everyday objects from water-resistant polyethylene foam. ...
is a performance based installation, which deals with memory, moving and production. The installation contains my hand-made copies of everyday objects from water-resistant polyethylene foam. ...
W4989
28.08.2012
Food Sluice - Ulrike Möntmann
WWW
FOOD SLUICE The literal reference of the Food Sluice is to a way of channelling food. Following the principle of a sluice, the flow of food between two spaces is regulated, without there ever being a direct, open connection between these spaces. Un ...
FOOD SLUICE The literal reference of the Food Sluice is to a way of channelling food. Following the principle of a sluice, the flow of food between two spaces is regulated, without there ever being a direct, open connection between these spaces. Un ...
W4568
25.05.2011
"Wire Tap"  - Dianne Bowen and Heins Kim
WWW
"Wire Tap" physical study I, 2008 2,500 steel dress pins, 200 feet heavy gauge copper phone wire, 150 feet steel elevator cable, 5 canvas panels, roughly 4,000 feet of varied data and thin phone wire, 200 feet plastic IV tubing, plastic bubbles, astr ...
"Wire Tap" physical study I, 2008 2,500 steel dress pins, 200 feet heavy gauge copper phone wire, 150 feet steel elevator cable, 5 canvas panels, roughly 4,000 feet of varied data and thin phone wire, 200 feet plastic IV tubing, plastic bubbles, astr ...
W4662
25.05.2011
The Wardenclyffe Gift  - Craig Leonard
WWW
The Wardenclyffe Gift Craig Leonard In November 2009, the bronze plaque donated by the Yugoslavian Government on July 10, 1976 for the commemoration of the Wardenclyffe communication tower, Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory building, was sto ...
The Wardenclyffe Gift Craig Leonard In November 2009, the bronze plaque donated by the Yugoslavian Government on July 10, 1976 for the commemoration of the Wardenclyffe communication tower, Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory building, was sto ...
W4156
23.05.2011
Craig Havens
WWW
From August 2009 to January 2010, I employed the spirit of Elvis Presely as the PR Director of a Limited Liability Company which I created to represent my groin to those people who were no longer welcome in my life. ...
From August 2009 to January 2010, I employed the spirit of Elvis Presely as the PR Director of a Limited Liability Company which I created to represent my groin to those people who were no longer welcome in my life. ...
W4246
24.05.2011
Untitled project - Nobuo Yoda
WWW
Untitled project Nobuo Yoda This project is a proposal for Daikanyama Installation 2009 that was rejected. Daikanyama Installation 2009 is a call for installations that is held every two years in Daikanyama area (Meguro Ward), ...
Untitled project Nobuo Yoda This project is a proposal for Daikanyama Installation 2009 that was rejected. Daikanyama Installation 2009 is a call for installations that is held every two years in Daikanyama area (Meguro Ward), ...
W5126
18.09.2012
Porn I (Zootropo - Juan Alvarez-Durán
WWW
Porn (Part One) ‐ Zoetrope Continually subvert the function of the machine Nan Yun Paik There is a natural sense of the world, but those ways that men have given their perceptions. Jean Mitry The dictionary defines zoetrope. (Zoo‐and gr. Τρόπος ...
Porn (Part One) ‐ Zoetrope Continually subvert the function of the machine Nan Yun Paik There is a natural sense of the world, but those ways that men have given their perceptions. Jean Mitry The dictionary defines zoetrope. (Zoo‐and gr. Τρόπος ...
W4522
25.05.2011
Under Construction/Building a Website  - Berkay Tuncay
WWW
Under Construction/Building a Website                                                   2011/ Installation&Website    “Under Construction/Building a Website” is based on the “under ...
Under Construction/Building a Website                                                   2011/ Installation&Website    “Under Construction/Building a Website” is based on the “under ...
W3530
11.05.2011
Jeanette Doyle
WWW
I crossed a line and entered freshly into a world of signs and symbols. Language became increasingly mutable. Emails and texts contained discrete meanings. Websites too. Spam was addressed to me specifically. The tone could be kind or f ...
I crossed a line and entered freshly into a world of signs and symbols. Language became increasingly mutable. Emails and texts contained discrete meanings. Websites too. Spam was addressed to me specifically. The tone could be kind or f ...
W4883
10.08.2012
An archive of feminist cabaret and theatre posters from 1977 and onward - Mathias Kryger
WWW
An archive of feminist cabaret and theatre posters from 1977 and onward I recently decided to chronicle a certain mode of production in a certain historical period through an idiosyncratic gathering of visual material, primarily posters. It is idiosy ...
An archive of feminist cabaret and theatre posters from 1977 and onward I recently decided to chronicle a certain mode of production in a certain historical period through an idiosyncratic gathering of visual material, primarily posters. It is idiosy ...
W4323
24.05.2011
MAD HATTER’S WORKSHOP  - Valery Koroshilov
WWW
MAD HATTER’S WORKSHOP The Concept Observing Lowry’s paintings I have noticed his people very often wear hats. I went on to address this theme. A hat, a helmet, a beret, a cap, a scarf, a hood, a crown. What are the messages they convey today i ...
MAD HATTER’S WORKSHOP The Concept Observing Lowry’s paintings I have noticed his people very often wear hats. I went on to address this theme. A hat, a helmet, a beret, a cap, a scarf, a hood, a crown. What are the messages they convey today i ...
W3741
18.05.2011
Phantasmagorie - James Chinneck
WWW
Phantasmagorie will be a large scale multi-sited new media artwork involving a train with no passengers traveling around the United Kingdom after dark, pulling approximately nine carriages. ...
Phantasmagorie will be a large scale multi-sited new media artwork involving a train with no passengers traveling around the United Kingdom after dark, pulling approximately nine carriages. ...
W4165
23.05.2011
Seacarus - Mark Požlep, Saša Šuštar
WWW
The project is a flying construct with an aluminium body of a catamaran and two bicycle-like-systems with pedals (run by two people), connected to two propellers. It flies on 6 helium-filled baloons (5 m diameter) each of them carrying 65 kg, all together ...
The project is a flying construct with an aluminium body of a catamaran and two bicycle-like-systems with pedals (run by two people), connected to two propellers. It flies on 6 helium-filled baloons (5 m diameter) each of them carrying 65 kg, all together ...
U9684
01.01.1992
Entwurf für einen erneuerten Malkasten 1992 - 1994 - Ulrike Holthöfer
Unbuilt Roads
„Entwurf für einen erneuerten Malkasten" 1992 - 1994 Gemeinschaftsprojekt Jacobischer Garten/ Malkasten Düsseldorf: 22000 m2 großer historischer Garten und Gebäudesubstanz (Jacobihaus, Hentrichbau, Randgebäude) im Zentrum der Stadt Düsse ...
„Entwurf für einen erneuerten Malkasten" 1992 - 1994 Gemeinschaftsprojekt Jacobischer Garten/ Malkasten Düsseldorf: 22000 m2 großer historischer Garten und Gebäudesubstanz (Jacobihaus, Hentrichbau, Randgebäude) im Zentrum der Stadt Düsse ...
W5355
19.10.2012
Lara Ogel
WWW
A book of mistranslations and poetry. Constructed, organized, cut and glued, fixated with images, texts and words. From English to Turkish to Turkish to English to Turkish once more. Arranged newspaper clippings to produce a new sound. Growing up bili ...
A book of mistranslations and poetry. Constructed, organized, cut and glued, fixated with images, texts and words. From English to Turkish to Turkish to English to Turkish once more. Arranged newspaper clippings to produce a new sound. Growing up bili ...
W10709
05.09.2014
Terminator – Final proposal to the Jerwood Foundation 2008 - Jonathan Parsons
WWW
This proposal was made following the Foundation’s invitation to produce this work. Unfortunately the project was eventually halted due to a lack of funds. Introduction Making Terminator into a substantial, powerful artwork necessitates a development ...
This proposal was made following the Foundation’s invitation to produce this work. Unfortunately the project was eventually halted due to a lack of funds. Introduction Making Terminator into a substantial, powerful artwork necessitates a development ...
W10685
01.01.1998
THE CLOUD ROOM - ADAM KALINOWSKI
WWW
Project for kinetic outdoor sculpture. Total dimensions: 1800x3500x3000cm. Dimensions of the orange structure: 500 x 720 x 540 cm. Model in 1:8 scale. Steel, aluminum, heavy fabric, aircraft cable, and propellers with reduction gears. Propellers are ...
Project for kinetic outdoor sculpture. Total dimensions: 1800x3500x3000cm. Dimensions of the orange structure: 500 x 720 x 540 cm. Model in 1:8 scale. Steel, aluminum, heavy fabric, aircraft cable, and propellers with reduction gears. Propellers are ...
W10185
04.04.2014
Robot Building Museum Shop from MCA to DIA - Maymay Jumsai
WWW
My proposal is to make a museum shop for the Robot Building my father designed. I’m asian, I have a strong family value. The Robot Building was part of the project ‘City on the Move’, that went to Venice Biennale in 1996. We had to pay for the ship ...
My proposal is to make a museum shop for the Robot Building my father designed. I’m asian, I have a strong family value. The Robot Building was part of the project ‘City on the Move’, that went to Venice Biennale in 1996. We had to pay for the ship ...
W4708
26.05.2011
Pool Sweep - Lisa Hein
WWW
POOL SWEEP Proposal for a Polluted River 2004 A kidney-shaped pool rim floats in an eddy of the Housatonic River. The pool has no bottom; the river fills it. Inside this enclosure, an animated buoy chugs about, trailing strings of floats ...
POOL SWEEP Proposal for a Polluted River 2004 A kidney-shaped pool rim floats in an eddy of the Housatonic River. The pool has no bottom; the river fills it. Inside this enclosure, an animated buoy chugs about, trailing strings of floats ...
W4386
25.05.2011
MARTINEZ PETROPOULOS WHITE
WWW
THIS ISA NICE NEIGHBORHOOD - unrealized Moscone Center/Howard Street Project for a large scale urban public artwork selected thru competition by the Arts Commission of San Francisco. ...
THIS ISA NICE NEIGHBORHOOD - unrealized Moscone Center/Howard Street Project for a large scale urban public artwork selected thru competition by the Arts Commission of San Francisco. ...
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 ...