Being a Girl*!?

Being a Girl*!? is a multimedia exhibition that explores how images of girl*hood have evolved across time and culture. It brings together over 150 works by international artists who investigate what motivates girls* today and how inherited role models from the past continue to shape notions of identity, beauty and belonging.

From early portraits and depictions of saints to contemporary self-presentations on social media, the figure of the girl* reflects broader social values and conflicts. Themes such as coming of age, self-optimisation, gender fluidity, diversity and inclusion are negotiated in dialogue with historical images that once confined female youth to ideals of innocence, fragility or purity.

Structured in nine thematic chapters, the exhibition traces a journey from traditional representations to the digital present. Along this trajectory, it reveals how the image of the girl*—once objectified and idealised—transforms into an agent of self-definition and resistance.

Being a Girl*!? invites a change of perspective: it shows girls* taking the initiative, claiming space, and showing the world who they really are. In doing so, it not only documents shifts in visual culture but also opens up visions for a more inclusive understanding of identity and growth.

Artists: Iris Andraschek, Markus Åkesson, Özlem Altin, Iris Christine Aue, Laila Bachtiar, Alfredo Barsuglia, Werner Berg, Margret Bilger, Hans Böhler, Dietmar Brehm, Anna Breit, Eugenie Breithut-Munk, Heinrich Campendonk, Emil Czech, Canan Dagdelen, Stephan Dakon, Albin Egger-Lienz, Josef Engelhart, Claire Fontaine, Lucian Freud, Gertrud Frey, Dwora Fried, Hans Fronius, Georgios Georgolios, Lucy Glendinning, Dorothee Golz, Nilbar Güreş, Marlene Haring, Anna Elisabeth Hausswolff , Julie Hayward, Nina Hollein, Bu Hua, Wolfgang Hutter, Bernhard Keilhau, Demeter Koko, Jaroslav Král, Iris Legendre, Maximiliano León, Mike Mac Keldey, Matthias May, Jürgen Messensee, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Fernando Moleres, Kolo Moser, Mihaly Munkacsy, Muntean/​Rosenblum, Rinke Nijburg, Felix Nussbaum, Monika Oechsler, Lorraine O’Grady, Margit Palme, Sergius Pauser, Karin Maria Pfeifer, Vanessa Jane Phaff , Pablo Picasso, Rory Pilgrim, Charmaine Poh, Teresa Präauer, Bernhard Prinz, Odilon Redon, Johann Baptist Reiter, Rosa Rendl, Anton Romako, Elisabeth von Samsonow, Isa Schieche, Egon Schiele, Martin Johann Schmidt, Rosa Schweninger, Jakob Seisenegger, Clara Siewert, Wu Shaoxiang, Anna Skladmann, Edith Stauber, Ceija Stojka, Annelies Štrba, Jutta Strohmaier, Sophia Süßmilch, Magda Tothova, Veronika Veit, Borjana Ventzislavova, Maja Vukoje, Bertha Wuilleumier, Amelie von Wulffen

Curator: Brigitte Reutner-Doneus
Exhibition Design: Margit Greinöcker & Tobias Hagleitner
Concept and Design of The Room: Cécile Belmont, Karin Schneider and the Lentos Art Education Team

Publication: An exhibition catalogue will be published by Hirmer Verlag, featuring texts in German and English by Anne Brack, Gabriella Hauch, Luce deLire, Sonja Eismann, Meike Lauggas, Teresa Präauer, Brigitte Reutner-Doneus, Mineke Schipper, Hemma Schmutz, Eva Schobesberger and Lisa Spalt.

Press inquiries: rosalie.siegl@lentos.at, or download materials from Presse—Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz