She is considered a pioneer of surrealism in post-war Austria. In Nigeria, she is revered as a high priestess. If you are looking for the internationally sought-after Susanne Wenger, you will find her on the Krems art mile. The Susanne Wenger Foundation has been based in the immediate vicinity of the Lower Austria State Gallery and the Kunsthalle Krems since 2011. The foundation brings together all aspects of Wenger's life's work. Here, Martha Denk and Isabella Zieritz leaf through the freshly printed catalog from London's Tate Modern. This is because several items on loan from Krems were recently brought to London. Wenger's works make an impression in the exhibition “Nigerian Modernism.” The organizational team, consisting of Martha Denk, Isabella Zieritz, and Moussa Kone, introduces interested visitors to the life and work of this versatile artist. The foundation's board, supported and funded by the province of Lower Austria, manages Susanne Wenger's oeuvre.

Wenger gradually began to establish herself in post-war Austria. As a founding member of the Art Club Vienna, she was in close contact with fellow artists such as Maria Biljan-Bilger. Scholarships in Switzerland and Paris gave her a good network of contacts, including Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee. 

What is on display today at the Biennale and the Tate Modern is primarily her batik art. She learned the techniques of adire and wax batik in Nigeria. She originally emigrated to Africa in 1949 because her then-husband Ulli Beier, a linguist, accepted a position at the University of Ibadan. Wenger did not enjoy the everyday life of white expats in the British colony. She wanted to get out into the countryside, into the reality of Nigeria. “How incredibly courageous it is to go on a journey of discovery alone! Like hardly any other European woman, she got to know the culture and religion of the Yoruba in Nigeria,” enthuses Martha Denk. She personally guides visitors through the foundation's premises and knows a quote or anecdote about each work, as she was well acquainted with Wenger. 

The artist also wanted her entire oeuvre to be preserved in a protected environment. Many of her works found their way to Austria through numerous exhibitions. Susanne Wenger was a co-founder of the foundation that was established to make her work accessible to the public. Susanne Wenger had a particularly close relationship with Krems. Rivers, such as the Osun River, play an important role in her nature-related works. Martha Denk emphasizes that the Danube was also important to her. She and her husband Wolfgang Denk, who was the first director of the Kunsthalle Krems, were Wenger's anchor points in her old homeland. She lived with them when she spent more time in Austria after her 70th birthday and her first major retrospective exhibition in 1985. Now the Susanne Wenger Foundation ensures that Wenger's artworks are preserved in Krems and are on display in a permanent exhibition. In Nigeria, the Adunni Olorisha Trust-Adunni Osun Foundation is responsible for preserving the artworks of the New Sacred Art Movement in the Sacred Grove. The foundation in Krems is open to visitors and to anyone who wants to conduct research.