Feminism concerns everyone, everywhere: at work, on the street, at home, in matters of reproduction, in the writing of history, and, not least, in art. Feminist struggles are always tied to specific social and political conditions, which is why every step toward greater equality is accompanied by protests and resistance. The demands have changed over time according to the historical and geographical context. Yet for all their diversity, feminists across different times and places share a commitment to critically examining existing inequalities and envisioning more just futures.
Stella Rollig, Director General of the Belvedere: Making art by women and feminist perspectives visible has been a focus of our work over the past decade. In light of the global resurgence of right-wing, conservative, authoritarian, and misogynistic forces, feminist concerns are once again becoming increasingly urgent. As I bring my tenure at the Belvedere to a close, we are issuing an appeal for continued vigilance and expressing our desire to advance feminism as a holistic vision for a just world.
The exhibited artworks reflect the diversity of feminist ideas while demonstrating that there is neither a single feminism nor a uniform feminist aesthetic. This understanding already guided the legendary exhibition Kunst mit Eigen-Sinn (Art with a Mind of Its Own), initiated by VALIE EXPORT. Its realization was preceded by many years of intensive effort. It was only with the support of Johanna Dohnal, then State Secretary for General Women’s Issues and later Federal Minister for Women’s Affairs, that an international exhibition by and with women could finally be presented in 1985 at the Museum of the 20th Century—now Belvedere 21—for the first time in an Austrian federal museum.
Kunst mit Eigen-Sinn was groundbreaking for feminist art production and also marked an important new beginning in terms of its institutional anchoring. This history is explored in an Oral Herstory project developed in close collaboration with the filmmaker and artist Christiana Perschon. In eighteen video interviews, participants from the 1985 exhibition who are also part of Feminist Futures Forever share their memories and experiences.
In the spirit of a new beginning and as a way of situating the exhibition in the present, Feminist Futures Forever opens with a section on the theme of birth. The title “Push It!” was inspired by the ideas of political philosopher Hannah Arendt. According to Arendt, the process of coming into the world can be understood as a revolution, since every birth brings with it the capacity for action. Upon entering life, each person makes a new beginning that holds the potential for change.
From the perspective of the current moment, Feminist Futures Forever looks both backward and forward. The title is at once a promise and a call to action: The futures will have been shaped by feminisms. It thus not only recalls the ways in which feminist movements have transformed existing structures, but also makes it clear that the struggle for equality, participation, and the overcoming of patriarchy continues.
Social change is never a linear process. Achievements are often accompanied by new forms of exclusion, resistance, or setbacks. Rather than presenting a chronological narrative, Feminist Futures Forever brings together different time periods, perspectives, and experiences. In this way, histories emerge as a polyphonic tapestry that disrupts one-dimensional notions of progress. The narratives unfold across nine sections: “Birth: Push It!,” “Smoking and Rebellion: Little Fires Everywhere,” “Public Space: Take Back the Streets!,” “Work: She Works Hard for the Money,” “Bedroom: Because the Night,” “Bathroom: Cold, Clear Water,” “Transition: I Stand on the Line,” “Screening Room: Moving Image as a Feminist Space,” and “Archive: Found & Lost.”
The specific spaces of the exhibition demonstrate how queer-feminist issues confront us everywhere, every day, whether we recognize them or not. Structural inequality in patriarchal societies has far-reaching effects—from the street and the workplace, through to the bedroom and bathroom. The artworks engage critically with existing power dynamics and thematize the pursuit of self-determination, says curator Stefanie Reisinger.
We draw on the long history of the feminist movement. We are interested in the demands that feminists have made at different times regarding their respective futures, and where we stand today. Feminist Futures Forever is neither a question nor a warning; rather, it is the painful realization that patriarchy has not yet been overcome and, consequently, gender equality has not yet been achieved, adds curator Christiane Erharter.
Dorit Margreiter Choy and Cosma Grosser extend this line of thinking through the exhibition architecture they have developed. Committed to the spirit of queer-feminist spatial production, they conceive of both the building and the institution as dynamic structures, while a sculptural scaffolding intervention underscores the process of transformation.
FEATURING WORKS BY
Marina Abramović, Helena Almeida, Laurie Anderson, Anna Artaker, Kurdwin Ayub, Jamile Azadfallah, Eva Basta, Gretchen Bender, Renate Bertlmann, Linda Bilda, Dara Birnbaum, Moucle Blackout, Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz, Kaucyila Brooke, Amanda Burzić, Sophie Calle, Theresa Ulrike Cellnigg, Helen Chadwick, Linda Christanell, Waltraut Cooper, Ramesch Daha, Katrina Daschner, Louise Deininger, Verena Dengler, Ricarda Denzer, Carola Dertnig, Naz Dinçel, Natalia Domínguez Rangel, Ines Doujak, Róza El-Hassan, Rose English, VALIE EXPORT, Tina Frank, Flora N. Galowitz, Isa Genzken, Friedl vom Gröller, Nilbar Güreş, Marcia Hafif, Maria Hahnenkamp, Barbara Hammer, Marlene Haring, Mona Hatoum, Jenny Holzer, Florentina Holzinger, Nan Hoover, Judith Huemer, Leiko Ikemura, Iman Issa, Sanja Iveković, Janine Jembere, Anna Jermolaewa / Oksana Serheieva, Magdalena Jetelová, Joan Jonas, Birgit Jürgenssen, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Soli Kiani, Eva Kmentová, Jakob Lena Knebl, Nathalie Koger, Renate Kordon, Anna Kowalska / Mikki Muhr / Ulrike Müller, Brigitte Kowanz, Barbara Kruger, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Nika Kupyrova, Adriana Lara, Maria Lassnig, Kris Lemsalu, Sarah Lucas, Kateryna Lysovenko, Karin Mack, Dorit Margreiter Choy, Sabine Marte, Mara Mattuschka, Ursula Mayer, Michaela Melián, Anna Meyer, Stephanie Misa, Lejla Mulaosmanovic, Ulrike Müller, Hannah Neckel / Lea Neckel, Abiona Esther Ojo, Yoko Ono, ORLAN, Martina Öttl, Michèle Pagel, Bianca Pedrina, Christiana Perschon, Friederike Pezold (pezoldo), Margot Pilz, Adrian Piper, Sasha Pirker, Lisl Ponger, Ursula Pürrer, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Ulrike Rosenbach, Isa Rosenberger, Martha Rosler, Constanze Ruhm, Maruša Sagadin, Dunia Sahir, Wally Salner, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Meina Schellander, Julia Scher, Isa Schieche, Toni Schmale, Carolee Schneemann, Stefanie Seibold, Selma Selman, Cindy Sherman, Adriena Šimotová, Mariama Sow / Isabelle Edi / Kim Sanou, Anna Spanlang / KLITCLIQUE, Nancy Spero, Annie Sprinkle, Evelin Stermitz, Hito Steyerl, Miriam Stoney, Andrea van der Straeten, Ingeborg Strobl, Sophia Süßmilch / Henrike Henoch / Leni Ulrich, Rini Tandon, Rychèl Thérin Scott, Sofie Thorsen, Sophie Thun, Rosemarie Trockel, Sophie Utikal, Maja Vukoje, Anna Witt, Nil Yalter and Daniela Zahlner.
As part of Ulrike Müller’s Herstory Inventory: 100 Feminist Drawings by 100 Artists, 2007–14: A. K. Burns, A. L. Steiner, A. V. Linton, Ad Minoliti, Alhena Katsof, Allyson Mitchell, Amy Sillman, Anni Viinikainen, Ashley Hans Scheirl, B. E. Wiest, Barbara Eichhorn, Carola Dertnig, Carrie Yamaoka, Cauleen Smith, Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Chitra Ganesh, Chris Castillo, Cristina Gómez Barrio, Dawn Kasper, Dean Daderko, Edie Fake, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Erika Vogt, Every Ocean Hughes, Faith Wilding, Fiona Rukschcio, Fox Hysen, Gabriela Santiago, Georgia Lassner, Ginger Brooks Takahashi, Dana Bishop-Root, Gregg Bordowitz, Guadalupe Rosales, Iris Andraschek, Jamie Chan, JD Samson, Jennifer Montgomery, Jibz Cameron, Jocelyn Davis, Johanna & Mona Gustavsson, Johanna Kirsch, Jonah Groeneboer, Joy Episalla, Julie Evanoff, K8 Hardy, Kate Huh, Katherine Hubbard, Kathleen Hanna, Keltie Ferris, Kim Kelly, Lee Maida, Lee Relvas, Leidy Churchman, Leigh Ruple, Linda Bilda, Linda Stillman, Lisa Lenarz, Louise Fishman, Lovett/Codagnone, Lucky Benson, Lucy Dodd, Malin Arnell, Marget Long, Maria Gafarova, Mariah Garnett, Marie-Thérèse Escribano, Marlene McCarty, Math Bass, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Michaela Melián, Michele Araujo, Michelle Latipa Dizon, Mitra Wakil, Moyra Davey, MPA, Myriam Lanau, Nancy Brooks Brody, Nico Peck, Nicole Eisenman, Onya Hogan-Finlay, Pam Lins, Patricia Reschenbach, R. H. Quaytman, Ricarda Denzer, Robert Bordo, Robin Hustle, Sadie Benning, Sam Greenleaf Miller, Samara Davis, Shelly Silver, Simone Bader, Sowon Kwon, Tara Mateik, Taylor Davis, Terrilynn, Therese Roth, Travis Boyer, Ulrike Müller, Wolfgang Mayer, Wynne Greenwood, Xylor Jane, Zoe Leonard.
