Paying homage to two major anniversaries and uniting artists from different generations—commenting on women’s role in modern society and the arts, and paying tribute to monumental periods in women’s rights—Women.Now. is a powerful group exhibition showcasing contemporary female artists based in Austria and the United States.
Joan Semmel, Centered, 2002
Oil on canvas, 48 x 53 inches
Courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates © 2018 Joan Semmel / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Using mixed-media storytelling, the New York exhibition tells the story of both women’s suffrage—2018 marking 100 years of the movement that saw activists risking their lives and livelihoods for a voice in public decision-making make its way to Austria—and the events of 1968, the year in which the feminist avant-garde was formed; the legacy of these moments told through the lens of a contemporary art scene in which gender disparities still exist.
Curated by Sabine Fellner, the comprehensive show features a diverse body of work that explores where the role of women lies in contemporary society—artists Ellen Lesperance, Ines Doujak, and Uli Aigner focussing on trades traditionally associated with women; Sevda Chkoutova creating an expansive mural exploring the link between lust, sexuality, and perceptions of beauty. From grasping at the concept of why femininity is so tightly bound to physical appearance to exploitation in the fashion industry, the cultural constructs of womanhood to sexual liberation, Women.Now. seeks to define how far—or not—women’s rights have come since those catalytic years.
Taking place at The Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY), Women.Now. is a potent reminder of landmark moments in equality and the women’s rights movement, and a document of their impact on society, culture, and politics today.
Claudia Schumann
OBERFLAECHEN DES SELBST ALS ERFAHRUNG, 2000
C-Prints on aluminum, analog multiple exposure
3 pieces at 11.8 x 7.9 inches (30 x 20 cm) each
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jünger
Betty Tompkins
Women’s Words, 2016
Installation, acryl on paper, acryl on canvas
dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and P.P.O.W., New York
Frenzi Rigling
4 drawings from the series diary, 2018
India ink on paper
11.7 x 8.3 inches (29.7 x 21 cm)
Courtesy of the Artist and Smolka Contemporary
Heidi Harsieber
2 photographs from the series MQ 2001
C-Print, mounted on aluminum dibond
35.4 x 23.6 inches (90 x 60 cm) each
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jünger
Sevda Chkoutova
Untitled, 2018
India ink on wall over two floors
dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Margot Pilz
HERSTORY – 36,000 Years of Goddesses and Idols, 2011/2012
Video with sound, 4 min
Courtesy of the artist
Adriana Czernin,
Selfportrait II, 2018
Watercolor, pencil, colored pencil on paper
15 x 10.8 inches (38 x 27.5 cm)
Courtesy Galerie Martin Janda / photo: Anna Konrath
Adriana Czernin
Selfportrait, 2009
Watercolor, pencil, colored pencil on paper
15 x 10.8 inches (38 x 27.5 cm)
Courtesy Galerie Martin Janda / photo: Anna Konrath
Eva Schlegel
Untitled (177), 2009
Silkscreen on lead
26 x 39.4 inches (66 x 100 cm)
Courtesy Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna
Women.Now. Installation Photography, courtesy The Austrian Cultural Forum New York (ACFNY).
