Visit to the TWO-O-EIGHT – DESIGNING VOICES exhibition;
Credit: MCULT
On 28 September 2026, Luxembourg's Minister for Culture Eric Thill travelled to Vienna on the occasion of Vienna Design Week, where Luxembourg is the guest country of this 20th edition.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture, this presence provides an international showcase for Luxembourg’s design scene and highlights its diversity and interdisciplinary nature.
Accompanied by representatives of Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg and Design Luxembourg, Minister Thill began his visit at the Vienna Design Week headquarters, where Gabriel Roland, Director of the festival, and Alexandra Brückner, Head of Production, welcomed him.
At the heart of Luxembourg’s presence is the exhibition TWO-O-EIGHT – DESIGNING VOICES, which refers to the historic frequency of Radio Luxembourg. Through listening stations and a radio studio, the exhibition gives a voice to around thirty designers and offers a panorama of contemporary creation in Luxembourg.
“Luxembourg’s presence as guest country constitutes important recognition of the work of our designers and the quality of our creative scene. It allows us to present this diversity to an international audience, but above all to create new encounters and strengthen exchanges with our Austrian and international partners,” Minister Thill stressed during the visit.
Minister Thill also discovered several Luxembourg projects integrated into the different formats of the festival, including Celestial Nature, presented by Luxembourg gallery Subtile, Tatiana Bifouri’s textile project Mémoire en Fil, as well as UNIFORM, the result of a dialogue between Luxembourg designer Christophe de la Fontaine and Viennese jewellery house A. E. Köchert.
Alongside Vienna Design Week, Minister Thill visited the Albertina for a guided tour by Stéphanie Mathey, a Luxembourg art historian and cultural mediator based in Vienna. This visit allowed the Minister to discover the institution’s collections and exhibitions and to discuss issues related to cultural mediation.
In the evening, the Luxembourg Embassy in Vienna organised a reception bringing together representatives of the Luxembourg and Austrian cultural and creative scenes. According to the ministry, discussions focused in particular on the opportunities and challenges facing design professionals, particularly in terms of international visibility, networking and the development of new collaborations.
“Design is a creative discipline in its own right, at the crossroads of creation, craftsmanship, innovation and our everyday lives. The quality and diversity of the projects presented here in Vienna show the full potential of our Luxembourg scene. We want to better recognise this creative dimension of design and strengthen its place in our cultural policy. This will involve, among other things, increased attention to design in the next Kulturentwécklungsplang,” Minister Thill said during his address.
The ministry added that Minister Thill praised the work carried out by Kultur | lx and Design Luxembourg to support professionals in the sector and strengthen the international presence of Luxembourg design.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the visit to Vienna concluded with a working dinner between Minister Thill and Sepp Schellhorn, Austrian State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, responsible in particular for international culture. The meeting provided an opportunity to continue the bilateral dialogue and exchanges on strengthening cultural cooperation between Luxembourg and Austria.
