Valie Export grew up in post war Upper Austria and attended
a convent school. Her quest for a more liberal surrounding
took her to Vienna, where she met a rebellious group of artists:
the member of Viennese Actionism.
Inspired by their philosphy and art
theories Valie Export began to explore the issues of female
sexuality by the means of multimedia art, film and video art,
installations and body performances.
Major early works are the performance
'Tapp und Tast Kino' (Tap and Touch Cinema), a series of black
and white photographies 'Körperkonfigurationen' (body
configurations) or a co-production with actor Peter Weibel:
'aus der mappe der hundigkeit' (from the protfolio of doggyness).
Later she turned to digital photography,
video art and installations. With great success: Valie Export
has received many awards. Today, she teaches at the University
of Arts in Berlin.
In 2002 she was invited to restructre
one of the many arches of Vienna's city railway following
a congested main street: the 'Gürtel'. 'Der transparente
Raum' investigates the interaction of the female body and
city planning.
