Valie Export (1940) was an Austrian artist and key figure of feminist art in Vienna. Her career focused on the female body and its position in society. She was a pioneer of performance and body art, and worked with a variety of media, including photography, video and experimental film, exploring the roots of expanded cinema. Raised in post-World War II Austria, she studied in Linz, her hometown, before moving to Vienna to study at the School of Textile Design. She eventually dedicated her life to art, exploring new forms of expression within conceptualism.

Valie Export was an Austrian artist and key figure of feminist art in Vienna. Her career focused on the female body and its position in society. She was a pioneer of performance and body art.

Export is best known for her early works, such as “From the Folder of Dogness Series” (1968), “Body Sign Action B” (1970) and her performance “Panic Genital” (1969). The latter performance was later revisited by Marina Abramović in her performance series “Seven Easy Pieces” at MoMA, where Abramović reinterpreted seven significant performances from the history of performance art.

In this article we focus on a series created by Export in her early career called Body Configurations. In this series, Export explores the role of the female body in the urban landscape of Vienna. This pioneering work in conceptual photography is significant, as at the time few women were engaged in this art form.

In this series "Body Configurations", Export explores the role of the female body in the urban landscape of Vienna. This pioneering work in conceptual photography is significant, as at the time few women were engaged in this art form.

The series highlights how the body and architecture interact, presenting the body as an integral part of the urban landscape rather than a mere spectator. It questions the place of women in public spaces, questioning the male/female dualism and the power dynamics of society.

It questions the place of women in public spaces, questioning the male/female dualism and the power dynamics of society.

In addition, these performances can be seen as a critique of the role of institutions such as museums, which often reinforce traditional narratives and power structures. By integrating her body into urban architecture, Export blurs the line between art and everyday life, questioning the boundaries imposed by culture.

Other works in the series, such as “Trapez” and “Connection”, extend this concept to nature. Here, Export uses her body as an architectural entity, creating synthetic forms such as triangles and semicircles. These pieces explore the relationship between humans and nature, contrasting the organic forms of nature with the geometric forms of the urban environment.

Other works in the series, such as “Trapez” and “Connection”, extend this concept to nature. Here, Export uses her body as an architectural entity, creating synthetic forms such as triangles and semicircles.

This series is recognized for its pioneering approach to performance and conceptual art, infused with a strong feminist charge, making it one of the most significant works in relation to the body and feminism.