Exhibition
The exhibition took place from 25 February to 30 June 2016.
Renate Bertlmann. AMO ERGO SUM. A subversive policy programme
From 25 February to 30 June 2016, the VERBUND COLLECTION, Vienna, presented the first comprehensive overview show on the work of the Austrian artist Renate Bertlmann.
The exhibition in the Vertical Gallery shows surprisingly exciting works from over 50 years of creativity by the unjustly little-known Austrian artist RENATE BERTLMANN (*1943 in Vienna). The VERBUND COLLECTION, which focuses amongst other things on the ‘Feminist Avant-Garde’ of the 1970s, has created an extensive monograph in German and English in three years’ collaboration with the artist.
Curator:
Curated by Gabriele Schor, founding director of the VERBUND COLLECTION, Vienna
Team of the VERBUND COLLECTION, Vienna
Theresa Dann – curatorial assistant
Daniela Hahn – curatorial assistant
Artist
Renate Bertlmann
Renate Bertlmann is an Austrian artist whose work is characterized by a profound engagement with gender roles, sexuality, and feminism. Known for her provocative and often humorous pieces, Bertlmann uses a variety of media, including photography, drawing, and performance, to challenge and subvert stereotypical representations of femininity and masculinity. Her works are a powerful contribution to feminist art, stimulating continued reflection on social norms and gender stereotypes.
VERTIKALE GALERIE der SAMMLUNG VERBUND
Am Hof 6a | 1010 Wien
Insights into the exhibition Renate Bertlmann. AMO ERGO SUM. A subversive policy programme
Publication:
RENATE BERTLMANN
published by Gabriele Schor & Jessica Morgan
Hardcover: 136 pages
Publisher: Prestel
Edition: 2016
Languages: German/English
ISBN: 978-3-7913-5530-6
AMO ERGO SUM
In the 1970s, Renate Bertlmann was active as a feminist pioneer with exhibitions, performances and actions in Vienna, Bologna, Cologne and New York. Through the rediscovery of the VERBUND COLLECTION, her work is currently experiencing a high level of attention. In the exhibition in the Vertical Gallery, authentic reconstructions of installations can be seen, some for the first time in Austria. A total of 40 works are on display, including many photographs, drawings, objects and films mainly from the 1970s of the VERBUND COLLECTION, which are supplemented with works by the artist.
Renate Bertlmann dedicated herself to a rebellious spirit. Her art refers almost obsessively to our bodies, penetrates their intimate zones and gives them a voice. She emphasises sexuality, touch and suppression and makes these the stage of her action. It is about nothing less than the creation of a personal kósmos (ancient Greek for world order). She calls her kósmos AMO ERGO SUM (I love, therefore I am) and with it makes reference to Descartes’ Cogito Ergo Sum (I think, therefore I am). She has been developing her art in the areas of pornography, irony and utopia for five decades. Bertlmann succeeds in ironically undermining patriarchal suppression through the symbol of the phallus. Thus she assumes a singular position in Austrian art.
Photos: © Karl Kühn, Vienna
