Thomas Geisler

Thomas Geisler is director of the Museum of Decorative Arts at the Dresden State Art Collections and initiated the Design Campus in Pillnitz Palace. Before that, he was managing director of Werkraum Bregenzerwald, an initiative of regional craft enterprises in Vorarlberg/Austria that run an exhibition building on innovative craft, design and architecture. He distinguished himself as an exhibition organiser and author on topics of contemporary design and everyday culture. From 2010 to 2016, he was curator and head of the Design Collection at the MAK - Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art in Vienna. Active in teaching and research, he was instrumental in establishing the Victor J. Papanek Foundation at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Together with Tulga Beyerle and Lilli Hollein he founded the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK, which he initiated with his master's thesis (title: designale - basic analysis and concept for a design festival in Vienna). Until 2010 he was jointly responsible for the programme. He also curated contributions to the Vienna Biennale and London Design Biennale. In 2019, he was responsible for the 26th International Design Biennale in Ljubljana BIO26| Common Knowledge. He is on international committees and juries, was co-responsible for the founding of Austria Design Net and is on the board of the Vienna Design Office - Verein Neigungsgruppe Design.