Clap
Hello
VALIE EXPORT speaking
That's all very interesting, very exciting
Maybe we do that again
Let's do it like this instead
My first selfie
This is the atelier of VALIE EXPORT
Why EXPORT?
VALIE was a nickname, and I export my own thoughts
I'm very happy I chose that name because I created my own identity
I was frustrated, but then feminism at that time
allowed you to choose who you are
I take photography as a female artist
and as a human being, from my own point of view
You have to go against some of the rules of the state that suppress people's liberties
So I started writing my name in capital letters
made myself a stamp
and that stamp became my trademark
This became my brand
The centre of my work is the body and moreover the female body
Also, I wanted to give some attributes back to the female body that were taken away
I was married for a year
and had a daughter
My daughter was raised by my sister
I left for Vienna in 1960 to go to art school
This was a big step for me
because everyone at school quickly found out
that I was divorced and already had a child
This was just unheard of back in those days
Eventually I got into the art scene
and began working independently
I'm going to show you the poster of 'Action Pants: Genital Panic'
Wearing these pants with the croth cut out, I walked through the rows of a cinema
It wasn't in a porn cinema like the legend has it
As if I would've walked with a machine gun into a porn cinema [laughs]
You've got to admit it was very punky
Later on, I staged this and got a photographer
and hung it up in the street of Vienna
They always immediately got ripped of the walls
but nodoby knew who put them up there
From 1970 onwards, I suggested this work for exhibitions
but nobody wanted to show it
I lived in this building, just up there, from about 1964 until 1978 in that far corner
This was a very famous building back in the day where a lot of artists lived
A lot of my works were produced here,
a whole series of 'Body Configurations' for example
Here was the action
Just like this
I think it was here and also in that corner
Thsi nunnery gave me a lot of impulses and inspired me
I knew every stone in this yard because I lived her for such a long time
Where did you live?
I live on the 3rd floor up there looking over the park
Ah, you look over the park, nice view
Your face seemed familiar
I thought you had to be VALIEEXPORT
Here I filmed at the Hotel Imperial
Treats, forbidden ones
I quite like the Austrian culture
The atmosphere in Vienna is
quite beautiful in terms of architecture
This is also a very intersting location
where I did 'Body Configuations'
These places were selected on purpose
Many of them were historical buildings
As you see here...You know best yourself
Yes, it's damaged
It's damaged, there are many fingerprints
and discolourations on the surface as you can see here
also several areas of silverfish corrosion
Ah, interesting
That's the reason why it's here at the Institut for Paper Restoration
Was this just normal gouache paint?
Yes!
Which was available back then?
Just like the one children had in school
Often I use spit, it's a very good cleaner
I find it very interesting what you can still learn
In 1968 Export created ' Tapp und Tastkino'
and the part played by the audience was further emancipated in her work
Through her 'Tapp und Taskino' EXPORT developed
a theory of feminist Actionism
The theroy was a declaration concerning the image of women in our culture...
through the coding of women's social role
Even though it was called ' Tap and Touch' cinema, the most important thing was the gaze
Everyone was staring at us trying to figure out exactly what was happening
in this cinema that nobody could look into
it seemed obvious from the outside
but only the two of us knew what was or wasn't going on inside
In Austria and in Vienna
strong feminist aspirations
didn't really exist
I always thought women should have as much power as men
It's about power
teh power to change things
I think the creative process comes from life itself