"Frau mit Schlange"

silk screen print

VALIE EXPORT is considered a pioneer of feminist art in Austria. A combative attitude and a belief in change also characterize her art, the hallmark of which is the analysis of society, politics and civilization. The often-used title Snake Woman suggests a particularly pliable being, but this is countered in the image.

"Everything that is dangerous attracts me. Even as a child I found them fascinating, I caught them and kept them. Especially poisonous snakes, adder. I waylaid them, grabbed them by the tail, made them bite a stick several times so they would lose their venom. Then I put them between my blouse and my underwear and put them around my waist like a belt. I showed them at school and lent them to friends - I wanted a few shillings for that. They slept in my bedside table. [About the work Frau mit Schlange] The connection is obvious to me: woman is erotic, snake is erotic. Snake is dangerous, woman is dangerous. I wanted to have a snake tattooed across my back for the same reason. The snake's head would have gone over my shoulder to my face." VALIE EXPORT in an interview with Gabriel Proedl in: Die Zeit, 25/2023. (trans. with deepl.com)