27 Feb 2015

Marianne Maderna, Radical Busts, 650 th Jubilee University of Vienna

Radical Busts by Marianne Maderna
Arcaded Courtyard, main building, University of Vienna
A Cultural project of the 650th Jubilee of the University of Vienna March 2, 2015 - April 17, 2015
opening: March 2, 2015 at 18:00, main building, mezzanine right, Universitätsring 1
Catalog: with texts by Maia Damianovic, Luce Irigaray, Marianne Maderna & Sigrid Schmitz

For the 650th Jubilee of the University of Vienna, the Austrian inter-disciplinary artist, Marianne Maderna will install a series of busts of significant women in the arcade courtyard of the main building of the university, presently used to display commemorative plaques and busts of almost all male academics associated with the institution, thus, de facto not acknowledging the work of women. Many cities have a dedicated place to commemorate people who impacted history. Too often, these so-called Halls of Fame are predominantly reserved for men.

On the one hand, in symbolic and representational terms, Maderna's project re-addresses the gap in publicly honouring women who have made important contributions to society. More significantly, the project is not about re-writing »His-story«, but an intimate & poetic telling of »Her-story«. Radical Busts presents a poignant expression of the vitality, humanistic spirit and power of women who tried to make a better world. In very personal terms, these busts show the woman behind the face. Radical Busts is an expression of joyfulness, a locus of lyrical jouissance.

Contact:
Friederike Schempp: radical-forward@univie.ac.at