Andrei Siclodi (1972-2025)

 

 

Andrei Siclodi (*05.05.1972 in Bukarest, † 18.08.2025 in Hall i.T.)

We mourn the loss of the director of the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen, our esteemed colleague and dear friend Andrei Siclodi.

Andrei Siclodi studied art history and comparative literature in Innsbruck and was a curator, author, editor and cultural worker who focused his theoretical research on forms of critical-emancipatory knowledge production in art. In 2002, he founded the Fellowship Programme for Art and Theory at Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen, which he headed until his death.

For more than 20 years as director of the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen, he played a key role in shaping and influencing the Künstler*innen Vereinigung Tirol. He made Büchsenhausen a place of international recognition, where artists, theorists and curators have reflected on and further developed trans-regional art and social discourses in a local context. Since 2003, more than 100 international artists, curators and theorists have participated in the fellowship programme, making Büchsenhausen a unique place of knowledge production that connects a local artists’ association with an international residency programme.

As editor of Büchs’n’Books – Art and Knowledge Production in Context and the monthly radio show Büchs’n’Radio on FREIRAD – Freies Radio Innsbruck, Andrei Siclodi deepened his understanding of art as a specific form of knowledge production that interacts with other fields of knowledge based on aesthetic and socio-political discourses in order to open up new and unconventional perspectives on the world.

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen has become a contact point for Ukrainian artists and cultural workers thanks to Andrei Siclodi’s involvement in the Austria-wide initiative, Office Ukraine. Office Ukraine offered ongoing support for Ukrainian Artists, and Andrei Siclodi was a member of the steering committee.

Andrei Siclodi was also involved in the independent art scene beyond Büchsenhausen. He was a founding member of the battlegroup for art, a network of various interest groups, platforms and associations in Innsbruck in the field of contemporary art and culture, which has been representing the concerns of the independent art scene in local politics since 2005. In addition, he was a board member of INNSBRUCK CONTEMPORARY until 2023, a platform that connects local, national and international venues for contemporary art in Innsbruck and Schwaz and increases their visibility. As a long-standing member of the Cultural Advisory Board for Fine Arts and Architecture of the Province of Tyrol, he was committed to the development of Tyrol as a centre for art and culture.

Through his involvement in the Pay the Artist Now! project group of the IG Bildende Kunst together with the Künstler*innen Vereinigung Tirol, he advocated for fair pay for artists and cultural workers. As director of the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen, Andrei Siclodi was also responsible for the studio house located there for artists living in Tyrol who were looking for affordable workspace in an artistically interesting environment, and he advocated for the expansion of residency opportunities abroad for artists with ties to Tyrol.

Andrei Siclodi connected institutions and people. In this sense, the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen always sought contact with non-artistic institutions and initiatives to promote artistic and socially critical ways of thinking beyond the art context. From the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen, he forged connections with people who came to value him as a colleague, mentor, fellow campaigner, critical thinker, supporter and friend. This network will continue to exist, as will his institutional and theoretical work, not only providing impulses for future artistic and social debates but also cultivating the many personal connections that have grown over time.

Andrei Siclodi’s thinking and work were characterised by curiosity, critical reflection and the courage to stand up for what he believed was right, both professionally and privately. For several years, he was committed to promoting transparency in dealing with the Nazi past and history in the local context, and initiated the event series ‘Erinnerungskultur aufarbeiten? Perspektiven auf aktuelle Tendenzen im Umgang mit NS-Vergangenheit in Kunst und Kultur in Tirol und darüber hinaus’ (Reappraising the culture of remembrance? Perspectives on Current Trends in Dealing with the Nazi Past in Art and Culture in Tyrol and Beyond).

As director of the Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen, Andrei Siclodi helped build and shape the institution. His commitment and perseverance in pursuing his visions and standing up for others were remarkable. They had a lasting positive influence not only on us but also on the cultural scene in Tyrol. Over the years of working together, he became a valued colleague and friend to many of us, and we will miss him dearly. He generously shared his knowledge and experience with us, and thanks to his open and warm nature, his humour and his many interests, we can look back with gratitude on many inspiring moments and conversations.

We want to preserve his memory with great gratitude for his work.

 

A joint memorial service for Andrei Siclodi is being planned. The date will be announced in time.

Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family and all his loved ones.

 

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Condolence Book:
kondolenzbuch@kuveti.at
Condolence notes (German and English) will be published at www.buchsenhausen.at/gedenkseite/ (the German version of this page)

 

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