WHAT IS “FEMALE* ARTIST INDEX” ABOUT?
Female* Artist Index Vienna is an online platform and directory which amplifies the visibility of female* artists working at the intersection of science, technologies, and feminism, in Vienna, specifically artists working on/with developing hardware for artistic purposes.
WHAT WE BELIEVE IN
The number of local and international events of different formats providing platform for production, display, knowledge transfer and dissemination of works by female* artists is currently growing, but so far there has been little focus on female*s who blur the boundaries between the feminist scientific, technological and artistic practices.
Female* Artist Index gives the significant emerging scene of female* artists working with open hardware a strong voice, and augments its implicit critique on exploitative, imperialistic and fossil fuel dependent tech brand monopolies. It facilitates the work of artists who challenge common perceptions of how technology looks and feels like, in a climate catastrophe future. Additionally it boosts the position of feminist and non-binary artists in the male-centered media art world.
Female* Artist Index encourages synergies between different sectors of creative industries that female* media artists can contribute to, ranging from innovative design to various relevant services and products, and thus strengthen the environmentally and socially responsible creative and economic potential of Vienna. The project aims to provide further possibilities of transdisciplinary matchmaking of the artists with researchers, entrepreneurs, curators, media representatives and educators.
OUR STORY
Female* Artist Index was initiated by Mz* Baltazar‘s Laboratory, a collective of five artists from different, intersectional feminist strands working with open hardware as artistic material. roots its practice in open source philosophy, tech literacy and peer-production. Patricia J. Reis, Ana Fernandes, Lale Rodgarkia-Dara, Taguhi Torosyan and Stefanie Wuschitz build the chair of the non-profit association and as such organize exhibitions, workshops and networking events in Vienna since more than ten years, caring for the communities' commons such as shared tools, skills and a offspace/makerspace in the 20th district of Vienna. Three chair members simultaneously work on developing feminist hardware for artistic practice and therefore encountered a gap when it comes to making visible and connecting artists in the sphere of feminist (new) materialist art.