Valie Export

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GuentherZ 2011-03-19 1635 Allentsteig Landschaftsmesser

Valie Export (born Waltraud Lehner on May 17, 1940, in Linz, Austria; later Waltraud Höllinger) is an Austrian artist and filmmaker known for her pioneering work in the fields of conceptual art, performance art, and feminist art. She adopted the name Valie Export in 1967, as a gesture of self-branding and rejection of patriarchal family structures and societal norms, with the name "Export" taken from a popular brand of cigarettes.

Early Life and Education

Valie Export was born in Linz, Austria, in 1940. She studied at the National School for Textile Industry in Vienna and later attended the University of Arts and Industrial Design Linz where she focused on visual arts, developing an interest in experimental film, poetry, and performance art.

Career

Export's work is characterized by a radical and provocative approach, often addressing issues of gender, identity, and the body. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she was part of the Vienna Actionism movement, though her work was distinct in its focus on feminist concerns.

One of her most famous performances is Touch Cinema (1968), where she wore a "movie theater" box around her naked upper body, inviting passersby on the street to reach into the openings with their hands, challenging traditional roles of the viewer and the viewed, and critiquing the objectification of women's bodies in cinema and society.

Export's film work includes a mix of experimental films and video art, often incorporating themes of surveillance, the female body, and feminist critique. Her film Invisible Adversaries (1976) is considered a seminal work in feminist film, exploring the invasion of the female body and psyche by male-dominated society.

Throughout her career, Export has also worked in photography, installation art, and digital art, consistently pushing the boundaries of media and message.

Legacy

Valie Export is regarded as a pioneering figure in feminist art and media art. Her work has been exhibited internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals. She has also been a significant influence on younger generations of artists, particularly those exploring issues of gender, identity, and the body through various media.

Export has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to art and film, and her work continues to be studied and celebrated for its innovative and challenging nature.

Selected Works

• Touch Cinema (1968)
• ...Remote...Remote... (1973)
• Invisible Adversaries (1976)
• Syntagma (1983)

See Also

• Feminist art
• Performance art
• Conceptual art
• Vienna Actionism