Valie Export and the biennial and fair presence across collections
Published on 08/28/2026 at 10:14 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Valie Export has long been a benchmark figure for feminist performance and media art, and her works still travel widely through institutional programs. Her film and performance pieces circulate in museum displays and curated film series that frame her practice as a key reference for experimental moving image and body politics.
Film works in institutional programs
In Berlin, PalaisPopulaire is currently running the film series OnView - Transformation from August 13 to September 21, 2026, presenting Valie Export’s 1971 work Facing a Family alongside films by Lida Abdul, Vajiko Chachkhiani, Selma Selman, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Gernot Wieland, as the institution details in its exhibition information.
The PalaisPopulaire program specifies a total running time of 41 minutes, with Facing a Family shown as a 4:44 minute contribution that stages a television-watching family staring back at the audience, emphasizing the act of looking and the speechlessness television can produce.
Collection displays and recent exhibitions
MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow highlights Valie Export within its permanent presentation Challenging Experiments on Self and Others, where the museum explicitly names her under the MOCAK Collection displays, underscoring her role in exploring self-experimentation and social critique.
In Zurich, Karma International is hosting an exhibition simply titled Valie Export from June 13 to September 5, 2026, positioning her work within a gallery context that runs in parallel to institutional tributes and emphasizes the continued relevance of her performance and media pieces in contemporary discourse.
Further news and background on Valie Export
Readers who follow Valie Export’s performance, film and media work can find additional reporting on institutional tributes and collection presentations in the AD HOC NEWS archive.
The work core across media
Valie Export’s practice spans performance, film, photography and installation, with works that often foreground the female body as a contested site of projection, control and self-determination, and that question how mass media, especially television and cinema, shape perception and social roles.
Where the artist stands now
Valie Export’s works continue to be activated in film programs, gallery exhibitions and permanent collection displays, indicating an ongoing curatorial interest in her contribution to feminist, performance and media art discourses.
Key facts on Valie Export
- Artist: Valie Export
- Medium / Genre: Performance, film and media art
- Born: 1940, Linz, Austria
- Place(s) of practice: Vienna
- Active since: 1960s
- Key work groups: Tapp und Tastkino, Körperkonfigurationen, Facing a Family, Auschwitz, Survivors and Daughters
- Current/last exhibition: Valie Export, Karma International, Zurich, June 13 to September 5, 2026
- Major collections: MoMA (New York), Tate (London), Lentos Kunstmuseum (Linz), MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art (Krakow)
- Awards: Numerous honors for contributions to feminist and performance art
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Valie Export
Where can Valie Export’s work be seen in 2026?
Examples include the film series OnView - Transformation at PalaisPopulaire in Berlin from August 13 to September 21, 2026, and the exhibition Valie Export at Karma International in Zurich from June 13 to September 5, 2026.
Which museums currently highlight Valie Export in their collections?
MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow lists Valie Export under its permanent display Challenging Experiments on Self and Others, and institutions such as Lentos Kunstmuseum in Linz foreground her in their collection narratives.
What is special about Valie Export’s film Facing a Family?
Produced in 1971 and lasting 4:44 minutes, Facing a Family shows a family illuminated by a television set, looking back at viewers and emphasizing the act of watching and the muteness produced by broadcast images, as described by PalaisPopulaire.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
