Our spaces, which we called in our beginnings “playground for adults” are inspired by an idea, realized in 1974 in Germany by European artist Pino Poggi. In his public intervention he offered, what his Arte Utile (AU) demanded of him, the availability and capacity to recognize local needs, to address them by creative, community involving means and to contribute in that way to a prosper, culturally evolved and interested living environment. All of the above happened as an artistic project and ended there, in Germany, in 1976, leaving only documents and impressions to be studied.

raum AU, in its legal form a registered voluntary association and by the ministry of culture declared, in public interest, does from its beginning in 2009 the very same as the above mentioned artistic intervention. We inspire our work by local and regional needs that we identify ourselves or are brought to our attention and organize projects, addressing these needs, involving in the process the most possible amount of groups and people. We therewith foster communication, nurturing a culture of information and offering in every occasion non-formal learning opportunities. The consequence being an increased sensitive curiosity towards things.
Our work with Carinthian creatives, with the AU estate and generally with contemporary arts is focused on the same issues as any other of our activities: serving a community in its process of integration and development.

This web page is meant to be a portfolio of inspiration and a kind of extended list of references, evidencing our profound expertise in many fields, besides being also an hommage to our extended network of supporters, friends and partners. During this time, we were nominated for the Altiero Spinelli prize as well as for the Amateo Award, we won the Austrian Erasmus+ Meilenstein twice and we were honored with a local recognition, the Bernekerjeva plaketa 2020, for our work in the field of culture. Since 2021 we are a partner of the philosophical faculty of the University of Ljubljana.