November 5, 2026–March 8, 2027
Vienna 1030
Austria
The exhibition Feminist Futures Forever at Belvedere 21 brings together 238 international artists from different generations to present a polyphonic panorama of feminist art from the historical feminist avant-garde through to possible futures.
Feminism concerns everyone, everywhere: at work, on the street, at home, in matters of reproduction, in the writing of history, and, not least, in art. Yet for all their diversity, feminists across different times and places share a commitment to critically examining existing inequalities and envisioning more just futures.
The exhibited artworks reflect the diversity of feminist ideas while demonstrating that there is neither a single feminism nor a uniform feminist aesthetic. This understanding already guided the legendary exhibition Kunst mit Eigen-Sinn (Art with a Mind of Its Own), initiated by VALIE EXPORT. With the support of Johanna Dohnal, then Austria’s State Secretary for General Women’s Issues, an international exhibition by and with women was presented in 1985 at the Museum of the 20th Century—now Belvedere 21—for the first time in an Austrian federal museum.
Kunst mit Eigen-Sinn was groundbreaking for feminist art production and also marked an important new beginning in terms of its institutional anchoring. In close collaboration with filmmaker and artist Christiana Perschon, an Oral Herstory project documents the personal memories and experiences of artists who participated in Kunst mit Eigen-Sinn in 1985 and are also represented in Feminist Futures Forever.
In the spirit of a new beginning, Feminist Futures Forever opens with a section on the theme of birth. The title “Push It!” was inspired by the ideas of political philosopher Hannah Arendt, according to whom every birth brings with it the capacity for revolution. The exhibition’s title is at once a promise and a call to action: The futures will have been shaped by feminisms. It recalls how feminist movements have transformed existing structures and affirms that the pursuit of equality and participation remains unfinished. The narratives unfold across nine sections: Alongside the aforementioned “Birth: Push It!”, the sections are “Smoking and Rebellion: Little Fires Everywhere,” “Public Space: Take Back the Streets!,” “Work: She Works Hard for the Money,” “Bedroom: Because the Night,” “Bathroom: Cold, Clear Water,” “Transition: I Stand on the Line,” “TV Room: Moving Image as a Feminist Space,” and “Archive: Found & Lost.”
Against the backdrop of a global resurgence of right-wing, authoritarian and misogynist forces, the exhibition underscores the renewed urgency of feminist perspectives. Gender equality remains unrealized, and the struggle to overcome patriarchy continues through protest, resistance and the imagining of more equitable futures. This understanding of feminism as an ongoing process of change also informs the exhibition architecture developed by Dorit Margreiter Choy and Cosma Grosser. Committed to the spirit of queer-feminist spatial production, they conceive of both the building and the institution as dynamic structures, while a sculptural scaffolding intervention underscores the process of transformation.
Featuring works by: Marina Abramović, Helena Almeida, Laurie Anderson, Anna Artaker, Kurdwin Ayub, Jamile Azadfallah, Eva Basta, Gretchen Bender, Renate Bertlmann, Linda Bilda, Dara Birnbaum, Moucle Blackout, Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz, Kaucyila Brooke, Amanda Burzić, Sophie Calle, Theresa Ulrike Cellnigg, Helen Chadwick, Linda Christanell, Waltraut Cooper, Ramesch Daha, Katrina Daschner, Louise Deininger, Verena Dengler, Ricarda Denzer, Carola Dertnig, Naz Dinçel, Natalia Domínguez Rangel, Ines Doujak, Róza El-Hassan, Rose English, VALIE EXPORT, Tina Frank, Flora N. Galowitz, Isa Genzken, Friedl vom Gröller, Nilbar Güreş, Marcia Hafif, Maria Hahnenkamp, Barbara Hammer, Marlene Haring, Mona Hatoum, Jenny Holzer, Florentina Holzinger, Nan Hoover, Judith Huemer, Leiko Ikemura, Iman Issa, Sanja Iveković, Janine Jembere, Anna Jermolaewa / Oksana Serheieva, Magdalena Jetelová, Joan Jonas, Birgit Jürgenssen, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Soli Kiani, Eva Kmentová, Jakob Lena Knebl, Nathalie Koger, Renate Kordon, Anna Kowalska / Mikki Muhr / Ulrike Müller, Brigitte Kowanz, Barbara Kruger, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Nika Kupyrova, Adriana Lara, Maria Lassnig, Kris Lemsalu, Sarah Lucas, Kateryna Lysovenko, Karin Mack, Dorit Margreiter Choy, Sabine Marte, Mara Mattuschka, Ursula Mayer, Michaela Melián, Anna Meyer, Stephanie Misa, Lejla Mulaosmanovic, Ulrike Müller, Hannah Neckel / Lea Neckel, Abiona Esther Ojo, Yoko Ono, ORLAN, Martina Öttl, Michèle Pagel, Bianca Pedrina, Christiana Perschon, Friederike Pezold (pezoldo), Margot Pilz, Adrian Piper, Sasha Pirker, Lisl Ponger, Ursula Pürrer, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Ulrike Rosenbach, Isa Rosenberger, Martha Rosler, Constanze Ruhm, Maruša Sagadin, Dunia Sahir, Wally Salner, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Meina Schellander, Julia Scher, Isa Schieche, Toni Schmale, Carolee Schneemann, Stefanie Seibold, Selma Selman, Cindy Sherman, Adriena Šimotová, Mariama Sow / Isabelle Edi / Kim Sanou, Anna Spanlang / KLITCLIQUE, Nancy Spero, Annie Sprinkle, Evelin Stermitz, Hito Steyerl, Miriam Stoney, Andrea van der Straeten, Ingeborg Strobl, Sophia Süßmilch / Henrike Henoch / Leni Ulrich, Rini Tandon, Rychèl Thérin Scott, Sofie Thorsen, Sophie Thun, Rosemarie Trockel, Sophie Utikal, Maja Vukoje, Anna Witt, Nil Yalter and Daniela Zahlner.
As part of Ulrike Müller’s Herstory Inventory: 100 Feminist Drawings by 100 Artists (2007–14): A. K. Burns, A. L. Steiner, A. V. Linton, Ad Minoliti, Alhena Katsof, Allyson Mitchell, Amy Sillman, Anni Viinikainen, Ashley Hans Scheirl, B. E. Wiest, Barbara Eichhorn, Carola Dertnig, Carrie Yamaoka, Cauleen Smith, Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Chitra Ganesh, Chris Castillo, Cristina Gómez Barrio, Dawn Kasper, Dean Daderko, Edie Fake, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Erika Vogt, Every Ocean Hughes, Faith Wilding, Fiona Rukschcio, Fox Hysen, Gabriela Santiago, Georgia Lassner, Ginger Brooks Takahashi, Dana Bishop-Root, Gregg Bordowitz, Guadalupe Rosales, Iris Andraschek, Jamie Chan, JD Samson, Jennifer Montgomery, Jibz Cameron, Jocelyn Davis, Johanna & Mona Gustavsson, Johanna Kirsch, Jonah Groeneboer, Joy Episalla, Julie Evanoff, K8 Hardy, Kate Huh, Katherine Hubbard, Kathleen Hanna, Keltie Ferris, Kim Kelly, Lee Maida, Lee Relvas, Leidy Churchman, Leigh Ruple, Linda Bilda, Linda Stillman, Lisa Lenarz, Louise Fishman, Lovett/Codagnone, Lucky Benson, Lucy Dodd, Malin Arnell, Marget Long, Maria Gafarova, Mariah Garnett, Marie-Thérèse Escribano, Marlene McCarty, Math Bass, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Michaela Melián, Michele Araujo, Michelle Latipa Dizon, Mitra Wakil, Moyra Davey, MPA, Myriam Lanau, Nancy Brooks Brody, Nico Peck, Nicole Eisenman, Onya Hogan-Finlay, Pam Lins, Patricia Reschenbach, R. H. Quaytman, Ricarda Denzer, Robert Bordo, Robin Hustle, Sadie Benning, Sam Greenleaf Miller, Samara Davis, Shelly Silver, Simone Bader, Sowon Kwon, Tara Mateik, Taylor Davis, Terrilynn, Therese Roth, Travis Boyer, Ulrike Müller, Wolfgang Mayer, Wynne Greenwood, Xylor Jane, Zoe Leonard.
Catalogue
Edited by Stella Rollig, Christiane Erharter and Stefanie Reisinger, the 384-page bilingual catalogue, published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, is available from December 2026.
International conference
The international conference Feminist Futures Forever takes place from December 3–5, 2026, with panels, screenings, performances and discussions on feminist histories, networks, archives and futures.
Curated by Christiane Erharter and Stefanie Reisinger. Assistant Curators: Anna Ewa Dyrko and Andrea Kopranovic.
Press contact: presse [at] belvedere.at / T +43 1 79 557-185. View press materials here.
