VALIE EXPORT
Posen in der Stadt (Poses in the City)
opening 13/10/26, 11.30
13/10 - 20/11/2026
KUBUS EXPORT - Der Transparente Raum (The Transparent Space), Vienna
Kubus EXPORT — The Transparent Space is understood as a space of thought, as a place where transparency, limits, and perception are negotiated anew. The point of departure is the thinking of VALIE EXPORT about art, in which glass not only functions as material, but as a metaphor also stands for societal structures.
Glass is at once open and dividing. It allows one to look through it while at the same time it marks a border. As an intact pane of glass, it stands for transparency, free interchange, and the possibility of exchanges. As broken pieces it points to fractures and breaks, vulnerability, and the traces of social and personal experiences.
VALIE EXPORT utilized public places as the scene for her actions in order to break open and expose patriarchal power relations, gender roles, and the societal control of the female body. In her performative actions the artist explored the relationship between the female body and architecture and public space which raised questions about presence, visibility, and social perception.
The Kubus EXPORT glass installation stands at the intersection of two districts of Vienna, and this underlines its nature as a transitional space: it both connects and separates. The design incorporates fragmentation, transparency, and overlapping lines of sight. The view changes according to the viewer’s vantage point and movement. Thus, the space does not emerge as a static object, but instead in the perception of passersby. The temporal sequence of vision, the breakdown of space into fragments, and the shifting perspective make it clear that perception of reality always depends on the respective vantage point.
At the core of this is also the question of the relationship between body, space, and identity—a recurring theme in the work of VALIE EXPORT. Where does the self end? Where do the boundaries of our perception, our own bodies, and our surroundings lie? The Kubus becomes a space of experience in which proximity and distance, presence and emptiness, visibility and invisibility are continually shifting.
Works pictured:
Raumsehen und Raumhören / Space Seeing — Space Hearing (1973/1974)
Video stills, video, black/white, stereo sound, length of the original 18:43 min, second cut version (1980s) 6:19 min. © VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna, 2026.
BODY TAPE (1970)
Video stills, video, 4 min, black/white, no sound. © VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna, 2026.
VALIE EXPORT — SMART EXPORT (1970)
© VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna 2026 – photo: Gertraud Wolfschwenger.
Selbstportrait mit zwei Hochhäusern / Self Portrait with Two High-rise Buildings (1989)
Digital photograph. © VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna 2026.
Körperkonfigurationen / Body Configurations (1982)
Pönologie / Poenology (1982), Bibliothek 3 / Library 3 (1982), Heldenplatz 1 / Heldenplatz Square No. 1, Vienna (1982),
photograph, gelatin silver prints. © VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna 2026.
Adjungierte Dislokationen / Adjunct Dislocations (1973)
Film stills, “Experimental Film”, “Spatial Film”, “Expanded Cinema”, “Film Action”, “Space-Film”
Film installation, triple projection, 2 films, 8mm, transferred to 16mm; 1 film, 16mm, black/white, no sound, 8 min (loop).
Generali Foundation Collection – on permanent loan to the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, © Generali Foundation. © VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna 2026.
Adjungierte Dislokationen/ Adjunct Dislocations (1973)
© VALIE EXPORT / Bildrecht GmbH, Vienna, 2026 – photo: Hermann Hendrich.
An initiative of the Frauenservice der Stadt Wien (Women’s Services of the City of Vienna) in collaboration with the VALIE EXPORT Center Linz.
Concept and design: Katharina Anna Loidl, kenon.at
With the kind support of the VALIE EXPORT Foundation, Bildrecht GmbH Vienna, Women’s Services Vienna, University of Arts Linz, Lentos Art Museum Linz, and the Generali Foundation Collection.