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.

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

MODELL OF AN OFFICE FOR A COUPLE OF TWINS, BOTH 1,38 TALL" - Tobias Rehrenberg

Broadway Musicals - Christian Marclay

A FAIRLY TALL TOWER, 48,000 Miles High -  - Siah Armajani

Theater der Leere - Werner Ruhnau and Yves Klein

Merci, Thank you, Danke: Les 2 sujets  - Thomas Hirschorn

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

Visual Poem: Cap I Cua - Joan Brossa

d'un projet dédié aux victimes de la Shoah. - Christian Boltanski

den anonymen Tod ausstellen - Gregor Schneider

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
#
Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
U9931
01.01.1994
Making for Art - 100 Unsucceeded Presentation - 1995, 1996,  - Yutaka Sone
Unbuilt Roads
In this project, I visit one hundred curators individually who work at contemporary museum or make shows by their own style to present my works But in this project, all my presentations must be rejected by all curators, which means each of them will en ...
In this project, I visit one hundred curators individually who work at contemporary museum or make shows by their own style to present my works But in this project, all my presentations must be rejected by all curators, which means each of them will en ...
W4005
22.05.2011
Chris Johnson
WWW
I propose to cut involute spur gears into the ice of a central park lake. Imposing a simple machine will add something to the natural world. A prototype of the proposal can be seen at: http://vimeo.com/23778323 ...
I propose to cut involute spur gears into the ice of a central park lake. Imposing a simple machine will add something to the natural world. A prototype of the proposal can be seen at: http://vimeo.com/23778323 ...
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 ...
W4518
25.05.2011
Viktor Timofeev
WWW
In this painting I have "created" a triumphal arch constructed out of 13 worker-housing units, stacked precariously and defying the laws of physics. While this village/monument is rendered to appear structurally sound, its context is most certainly utopia ...
In this painting I have "created" a triumphal arch constructed out of 13 worker-housing units, stacked precariously and defying the laws of physics. While this village/monument is rendered to appear structurally sound, its context is most certainly utopia ...
W10630
09.07.2014
Stitch In Time - Joel Leibowitz
WWW
20 Foot High x 12 foot circumference Spool of Thread; 3" foam core thread / yellow/ aluminum spool . The large spool of thread is positioned next to Cleopatra's "Needle" ( obelisk ) in Central Park , NYC. Location behind Metropolitan Museum of Art. ...
20 Foot High x 12 foot circumference Spool of Thread; 3" foam core thread / yellow/ aluminum spool . The large spool of thread is positioned next to Cleopatra's "Needle" ( obelisk ) in Central Park , NYC. Location behind Metropolitan Museum of Art. ...
W4668
25.05.2011
The Hope Tree of New Fribourg - MomenTech
WWW
"The Hope Tree of New Fribourg" ("Árvore Esperança de Nova Friburgo") Commemorates the Relationship Between the Sister Cities of Fribourg, Switzerland, sister city, Nova Friburgo, Brazil "Hope is the last to die." -- Portuguese proverb NEW YORK, ...
"The Hope Tree of New Fribourg" ("Árvore Esperança de Nova Friburgo") Commemorates the Relationship Between the Sister Cities of Fribourg, Switzerland, sister city, Nova Friburgo, Brazil "Hope is the last to die." -- Portuguese proverb NEW YORK, ...
W3910
20.05.2011
Dutton and Swindells
WWW
A list of all the possible endings of everything that could ever end. Impossible to complete of course, in the positivity of its construction it undoes its negation and is always becoming something new. ...
A list of all the possible endings of everything that could ever end. Impossible to complete of course, in the positivity of its construction it undoes its negation and is always becoming something new. ...
W4654
25.05.2011
City of Revolutions - Stefanos Tsivopoulos
WWW
City of Revolutions An unrealized project by Stefanos Tsivopoulos "Whoever could be in charge of the public sphere of Tehran was in charge of the country. The contest over, and the domination of, the public spaces of the city was the embodiment of the ...
City of Revolutions An unrealized project by Stefanos Tsivopoulos "Whoever could be in charge of the public sphere of Tehran was in charge of the country. The contest over, and the domination of, the public spaces of the city was the embodiment of the ...
W5374
19.10.2012
Broken Window - Alex Villar
WWW
Between '71 and '73, during the time Gordon Matta-Clark, Caroline Goodden and others ran the restaurant Food in Soho on 127 Prince Street, artists submitted projects for an event series hosted at the restaurant and called Sunday Night Guest Chef Dinners. ...
Between '71 and '73, during the time Gordon Matta-Clark, Caroline Goodden and others ran the restaurant Food in Soho on 127 Prince Street, artists submitted projects for an event series hosted at the restaurant and called Sunday Night Guest Chef Dinners. ...
U9913
01.01.1974
654 THINGS from The United States - Edward Ruscha
Unbuilt Roads
This was a proposal for the Defense Urban Development area in the city of Paris. The work, which takes on the appearance of a monument, would consist of stone or marble plates, bolted together to create a weather proof box-shaped container, housing shelve ...
This was a proposal for the Defense Urban Development area in the city of Paris. The work, which takes on the appearance of a monument, would consist of stone or marble plates, bolted together to create a weather proof box-shaped container, housing shelve ...
W5443
20.10.2012
The beauty of Your Desintegrated Details - Marco Tavolaro
WWW
Project description in one sentence. “The beauty of Your Desintegrated Details” is a mapping projection based installation made with canvas, projectors and animation. WHAT - What is the Project about specifically? The project deals with perceptio ...
Project description in one sentence. “The beauty of Your Desintegrated Details” is a mapping projection based installation made with canvas, projectors and animation. WHAT - What is the Project about specifically? The project deals with perceptio ...
W5096
12.09.2012
Kelly Malec-Kosak
WWW
W5895
18.10.2013
Head over heels - Matthijs Muller
WWW
This House embodies the difficulties involved with building brick houses in the marshy grounds of the Netherlands. It's position, leaning on its roof, it's unbalance, seems the result of some dramatic event. The poles that poke into the air look like some ...
This House embodies the difficulties involved with building brick houses in the marshy grounds of the Netherlands. It's position, leaning on its roof, it's unbalance, seems the result of some dramatic event. The poles that poke into the air look like some ...
W3807
18.05.2011
The Ethereal Battle - David Normal
WWW
The Ethereal Battle is a cosmological fantasy consisting of twenty paintings that depict the cyclic destruction and creation of the world._The premise of the Ethereal Battle envisions the aftermath of an all-pervading catastrophe in which humanity perishe ...
The Ethereal Battle is a cosmological fantasy consisting of twenty paintings that depict the cyclic destruction and creation of the world._The premise of the Ethereal Battle envisions the aftermath of an all-pervading catastrophe in which humanity perishe ...
W4035
22.05.2011
Riding The Gravy Plane 2005 - Stefan Nikolaev
WWW
Stefan Nikolaev Riding The Gravy Plane 2005 “All aboard. The Gravy Plane is an artwork by Stefan Nikolaev that offers you the one and only chance to take a “smokers only” cross-Atlantic flight. ...
Stefan Nikolaev Riding The Gravy Plane 2005 “All aboard. The Gravy Plane is an artwork by Stefan Nikolaev that offers you the one and only chance to take a “smokers only” cross-Atlantic flight. ...
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 ...
W4893
10.08.2012
Ben Sloat
WWW
A chrome machine with cut out letters is in constant production of the word "sorry." Made of smoke, the word lingers for a moment, then quickly dissipates. ...
A chrome machine with cut out letters is in constant production of the word "sorry." Made of smoke, the word lingers for a moment, then quickly dissipates. ...
W3999
21.05.2011
TASTE ROOM - Jana Leo de blas
WWW
TASTE ROOM JANA LEO 2005 The following is a proposal for the Taste-Room. An eating situation that involves eating and putting people together in unusual settings. A constructed atmosphere for an eating ceremony between two strangers. “Edible pieces ...
TASTE ROOM JANA LEO 2005 The following is a proposal for the Taste-Room. An eating situation that involves eating and putting people together in unusual settings. A constructed atmosphere for an eating ceremony between two strangers. “Edible pieces ...
W3743
18.05.2011
Rave Joy Mobile - Kai-Oi Jay Yung
WWW
A sound proofed enclosed box, mirrored on outside, pitch-black interior lit by 100 flashing neon LEDS, fitted with strawberry smoke nebuliser, fan and ventilation shaft to sit in the gallery. To be installed with state of the art sound system, digitally l ...
A sound proofed enclosed box, mirrored on outside, pitch-black interior lit by 100 flashing neon LEDS, fitted with strawberry smoke nebuliser, fan and ventilation shaft to sit in the gallery. To be installed with state of the art sound system, digitally l ...
W4265
24.05.2011
Kristin Jones / Andrew Ginzel
WWW
Project for Hypothetical Pond Sonsbeek Arnheim, The Netherlands 1986 ...
Project for Hypothetical Pond Sonsbeek Arnheim, The Netherlands 1986 ...
W4669
25.05.2011
IPIRANGA  - Balam Bartolomé
WWW
IPIRANGA A project by Balam Bartolomé Porfirio Díaz was the president of Mexico for over 30 years. He was overthrew by the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and sent to exile in France. During his dictatorship, in 1904, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Ar ...
IPIRANGA A project by Balam Bartolomé Porfirio Díaz was the president of Mexico for over 30 years. He was overthrew by the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and sent to exile in France. During his dictatorship, in 1904, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Ar ...
W4917
15.08.2012
Oxford Toilet Exchange - Katie Herzog
WWW
Oxford Toilet Exchange My proposed exchange will be facilitated via the swapping of doors in the stalls of the public toilet at the Oxford University Library with stall doors in the Oxford Public Library. Library Toilet as Final Frontier: On Reject ...
Oxford Toilet Exchange My proposed exchange will be facilitated via the swapping of doors in the stalls of the public toilet at the Oxford University Library with stall doors in the Oxford Public Library. Library Toilet as Final Frontier: On Reject ...
W3496
11.05.2011
Greenwich South - DeWitt Godfrey
WWW
Greenwich South commissioned by The Alliance for Downtown New York to participate in a visioning study that presents ways to transform the 23 blocks south of the World Trade Center—known as Greenwich South. The study was led by Architecture Research ...
Greenwich South commissioned by The Alliance for Downtown New York to participate in a visioning study that presents ways to transform the 23 blocks south of the World Trade Center—known as Greenwich South. The study was led by Architecture Research ...
W4613
25.05.2011
'Fish tank of snake eyes' - Valerie Driscoll
WWW
'Fish tank of snake eyes' A glass tank (measuring 60 cm x 60 cm and 40 cm tall). On the base of the tank will stand approximately 50-60 erect penises made from glass. Each glass penis will be life size and will be different in shape and size (preferably ...
'Fish tank of snake eyes' A glass tank (measuring 60 cm x 60 cm and 40 cm tall). On the base of the tank will stand approximately 50-60 erect penises made from glass. Each glass penis will be life size and will be different in shape and size (preferably ...
W4673
26.05.2011
A room with a view - amalia caputo
WWW
A room with a view”, 2011 By Amalia Caputo BRIEF DESCRIPTION “A room with a view” is a project for an installation/temporary or permanent exhibition that deals with the physical inversion as an interaction/ direct experience with general pub ...
A room with a view”, 2011 By Amalia Caputo BRIEF DESCRIPTION “A room with a view” is a project for an installation/temporary or permanent exhibition that deals with the physical inversion as an interaction/ direct experience with general pub ...
W11076
07.04.2016
Temple of Modern Virtue - Vilja Achté
WWW
My work revolves around the relevance of the intentionally incomplete state as a method of production in art and design practice. The term itself is an adaptation of the Renaissance term ‘non-finito’, which quite literally means ‘not finished’, an ...
My work revolves around the relevance of the intentionally incomplete state as a method of production in art and design practice. The term itself is an adaptation of the Renaissance term ‘non-finito’, which quite literally means ‘not finished’, an ...