Archipelago is an association supporting various art works strongly anchored in contemporary dance, choreography and performance practices. The association was founded in 2008 by Alexander Gottfarb and Anna Maria Nowak and has its base in Vienna, Austria.
As a geographical feature, an archipelago is a stretch of water containing many islands. In the same manner Archipelago – Verein für Performative Künste incorporates more than one line of artistic work. As artists working within the flexible structure of the association, we embrace notions of collaboration and sharing.
We perceive art as a necessity of contemporary times, since it can provide alternative spaces in our material and immaterial realities. Our practice has always risen out of fascination over various forms of movement, dance and choreography – practices that put the human body at the centre of attention and evoke a strong connection with “the present.”
We are aiming to create performance works that can express ambivalence without being ambivalent, that allow for different ways of reading and interpretation. We believe in exploration of embodiment of thought and the advantages of the inevitable cross-breeding between different art forms.
Archipelago supports and prodcues the work of Alexander Gottfarb and Anna Maria Nowak. In 2022 Anna Maria Nowak and Alexander Gottfarb founded Der Betrieb, a space situated in the 15th district of Vienna. The former hairdresser salon is a space with big windows to the street, a low threshold and barrier free access. It is a relatively low maintenance location, which is entirely dedicated to durational, live performances. The audience can enter for free, bringing their pets and children. Spectators can move around the space freely, sit or lie down and leave the space whenever they want.
Der Betrieb is in the third year of its activity. It opened its doors in October 2022, with The Emotional Season followed by The Democratic Season in spring 2023, Your Season – In search of a Common Season in the autumn of 2023, The Ritual Season in the spring 2024, The Generations Season in the autumn of 2024, The Season of Sound in spring 2025 and Your Season – In Search of a Common Season #2 coming up in the autumn of 2025. In 2026 we are preparing The Season of Narratives and The Abstract Season.
Alexander Gottfarb (he/him, *1981) is a Swedish dancer and choreographer living in Vienna. His own creations focus on repetition, transformation and duration. He is a founding member of the Loose Collective and is together with Anna Maria Nowak running the association Archipelago since 2008. He is a founding member of Arbeitsplatz Wien and a key figure in Wiener Perspektive.
Gottfarb graduated from the Balett Akademien in Stockholm in 2003 and then moved to Austria. As a dancer he worked with among others, Elio Gervasi, Chris Harting / Liquid Loft, Roderick Madl, Iztok Kovac and Björn Säfsten. Some of his more recognised pieces are Negotiations (2018)- which took place at the TQW Filiale 8 hours a day for a full year, Encounters #1 a 50h live-streamed dance performance from the Ottakringer Brewery that took place during one of the covid-lockdowns in 2020 and While no one is watching (2021) a four day long piece in which Gottfarb and his collaborator Alex Deutinger live in a tower constructed out of metal fences on a public square.
Gottfarb has on several occasions been invited by the Swedish organisation ShareMusic & Performing Arts – a national knowledge centre for artistic development and inclusion.
Anna Maria Nowak (she/her, *1980) is a Polish freelance artist based in Vienna since 2005. She studied linguistics at the University of Gdańsk before completing her dance education at Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz. After graduating, she joined the postgraduate company x.IDA under the direction of Esther Linley, where she worked with a range of renowned choreographers from Austria and abroad.
Anna Maria is a founding member of several initiatives and collectives, including Archipelago – Verein für Performative Künste, The Loose Collective, and Arbeitsplatz Wien. Since 2022, she has served as Artistic Co-Director and administrator of Der Betrieb, where she continues to shape its artistic direction and organisational structure.
She has been a core member of Liquid Loft under Chris Haring since 2006, contributing to numerous stage and film productions. Alongside her artistic work, she is an experienced pedagogue, having taught at institutions such as Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, MUK (Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna), Tanzquartier Wien, ImPulsTanz Festival, and the think-and-practice platform Backpulver.
Anna Maria is a recipient of the danceWEB scholarship and a grant from the Polish Ministry of Culture.
Her choreographic practice explores the interplay between thought, sensation, language, and movement, delving into themes such as emotion, age, framing, and metaphor. Her works include mindblankless and fall and crash into a thousand pieces (OdeonTanz Festival, 2010 & 2011), Oceans of Notions (swimming) (WUK, 2020), The Emotional Season (2022), Your Season – In Search of a Common Season (2023), and The Generations Season (2024) and Your Season! (2025).
Kunstverein Archipelago is kindly supported by the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna (MA7 - der Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien) and the bka The Arts and Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria (bka Bundeskanzleramt für Kunst und Kultur)