The feeling of a new beginning after happily overcoming the millennium jump was abruptly ended with 9/11. Topics such as the ongoing turbo-capitalism, migration, the questioning of the cult of monuments, and the convergence of aesthetics and economy accompanied by a hypocritical handling of urgent environmental issues by western industrialized nations in the information age were decisive for artists. Both alienated nature and the observation of one's own body and the burgeoning selfie cult through the new smartphones steered questions of perception. In addition to the criticism of the consumer age, postcolonial and gender issues, the still sluggish processing of National Socialism in Austria (even after the Restitution Act of 1995) was another factor that, instead of confidence, caused rather ironic to cynical breaks - especially in the case of "Golden Adele" by Klimt.

In addition to in-depth essays, the publication offers a generously illustrated insight into the more than 5,000 works in the City of Vienna's collections from the 2000s.