What makes Vienna a success in terms of contemporary art? Home to the curator of the next Documenta, one of the most well respected company collections (the Generali Foundation), several institutions offering challenging programmes and, not least, a growing number of internationally recognised artists: Elke Krystufek, Mathias Poledna (now on view at Witte de With), Josef Dabernig, Florian Pumhösl, Gelitin and many others. Christian Höller describes the cultural situation of the city, revisits the idea of the so-called ‘federal curator’ and concludes that the hope for the future lies in alternative initiatives and sub-scenes.