Art
Intakt
International Action Community of Women Artists
Founded as a feminist artists network in 1977, the International Action Community of Women Artists formulated their goals in the year of their formation as follows:
• Improvement of the social situation of female artists and their position in the art world
• Active participation in contemporary discourse on cultural policy
• Active engagement in important existence-related problems
IntAkt offers: collaborative projects such as group exhibitions, artistic exchange and cooperation with the Association of Hungarian Fine and Applied Artists (MKISZ), solo exhibitions, presentations in the IntAkt Space/Gallery, support for joint projects, workshops and publications.
Since 2004 IntAkt runs the IntAkt Galerie in the association’s space in WUK.
History
The cultural political debate began with the protests against an exhibition during the internationally declared Women’s Year in 1975. In the same year began an exchange of letters between Christa Hauer, Angelika Kaufmann and the federal education minister Sinowatz, who was responsible for the art portfolio at the time. In the context of these communications, the minister was confronted with the demand for equal representation in the advisory council for art. This demand was rejected.Proposals for the improvement of the social situation of female artists were not further pursued, claiming that this did not fall under the responsibility of the ministry; the promised research commission transformed into an insignificant grant. This situation motivated women artists to go to the public. In 1976 they made an invitationto a press discussion in the modern art gallery Insam. Ultimately, the formation of IntAkt would take place there in 1977. An apartment in the house of the “Griechenbeisl”(The Greek Inn) became the first meeting point and subsequently also an exhibition space.
In the beginning the activities consisted of cultural political initiatives, statements and actions, which should draw attention to the situation of female artists (public pension scheme, maternity leave, sales and prices, appointment of female professors). But the intention was also to better and more frequently represent the work of IntAkt artists in the Austrian art world. The exchange with female artists in other countries equally counted amongst the priorities of IntAkt. The principle of competition between artists prescribed by society was also thematised and subverted through dialogue in order to enable a cooperative effort to create better working and living conditions.
The animated discussion and debate within the group formed the basis of numerous exceptional thematic exhibitions.
Numerous actions (“IntAkt lacht” [IntAkt laughs], “Leintücher am Karlsplatz” [Bed Sheets on Karlsplatz]) and performances (Rita Furrer: “Aschermittwoch der Künstler” [Ash Wednesday of the artist], Margot Pilz: “Caorle am Karlsplatz” [Caorle on Karlsplatz], Lotte Hendrich-Hassmann: “Kunstblumen pflücken erlaubt” [Picking artificial flowers allowed]) promoted the recognition of the group.
IntAkt operated their own meeting point with the women’s gallery in the house of the Griechenbeisl until 1988. Thereafter the relocation to WUK took place where exhibitions are often organised, such as “Pandoras neue Wege” (Pandora’s new ways) in the Kunsthalle Exnergasse. Additionally, IntAkt can refer to numerous successful cooperations and exhibitions abroad (in Belgium, China, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Slovakia, Spain, Czech Republic, and in Hungary in 2009). Only a few of the major IntAkt group exhibitions shall be mentioned here. They are exemplary of IntAkt’s endeavours to actively involve as many of its members as possible, to present their work and to draw the greatest possible public attention to them and IntAkt.
• 1984 “Brennpunkt: Kunst von Frauen” (Focus: Art by Women), Secession Vienna;
• 1987 “10 Jahre IntAkt” (10 Years IntAkt), in the Griechenbeisl;
• 1997 “der ORT die ZEIT das PLUS” [20 Jahre Die IntAkt] (the PLACE the TIME the PLUS [20 Years IntAkt), Heiligenkreuzerhof.
IntAkt currently has approximately 90 members. The executive board consists of 8 artists.
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Hansi Hubner: Woman with man, 65x50 cm, pencil and coloured pen on cardboard
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