Wikipedia

Margot Pilz

Margot Pilz (born 1936, Haarlem, Netherlands) is an Austrian visual artist and a pioneer of conceptual and digital art in Austria. She was one of the first Austrian artists to combine computers and photography. Her works reflect the avant-garde culture of the 1960s and 1970s in their experimental techniques and performative aspects.[2] Her work received renewed attention in the 2010s.[3]

Margot Pilz
Born1936
Haarlem, Netherlands
AwardsTheodor Körner Prize (1990)[1]
Websitehttp://www.margotpilz.at/
U-Turn, Margot Pilz, Vienna
External videos
video icon “HERSTORY – 36.000 YEARS OF GODDESSES & IDOLS ”, Margot Pilz, 2012
video icon “Celebration“, Margot Pilz, 2011–2012

Pilz's photographs have been described as "one-second sculptures"[4] or "flash-sculptures".[5] She often chooses feminist approaches, addressing taboos, stereotyping,[6] and environmental concerns. In this regard, her work has been compared to that of Valie Export.[7] Much of her work is autobiographical.[8] She has received a number of awards, including the Theodor Körner Prize (1990).[1]

Biography

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Pilz was born in 1936 in Haarlem in the Netherlands.[6] In 1939, when she was three years old, her family fled from the National Socialists to Semarang in Central Java, Indonesia. When the Japanese invaded Indonesia in March 1942, Pilz's father was sent to a concentration camp in Sumatra. She and her mother spent two years among 8,000 prisoners in Lampersari concentration camp, Semarang, Central Java.[9][10][8] In Pilz's case, seven women and two children lived in a tiny filthy room. They suffered from typhus and one of Pilz's legs became infected and as a result is shorter than the other.[9]

In 1954 Pilz went to Vienna to study photography at the Höheren Graphischen Bundeslehr- und Versuchsanstalt, the Federal Training and Research Institute of Graphic Arts.[11] She worked with Hans Weiss as a commercial photographer in Vienna from 1971 to 1978.[11] In 1976, she received her Meisterprüfung (master's certification) in photography.[11]

Pilz was strongly affected by her arrest by plainclothes police officers at the Third Women's Festival in Vienna on 14 April 1978. She addressed these events through the creation of a body-centered series of self-portraits, communicating emotion to the audience both through expressive gestures and through the state of the linen jacket that she wore at the time of the arrest. These photographs, in which she is portrayed with crumpled clothes and in crouched postures, have been described as "one-second sculptures" or "flash-sculptures".[4][11][5]

In 1978 Pilz also joined the feminist artists network Internationalen Aktionsgemeinschaft bildender Künstlerinnen (International Action Community of Fine Artists, IntAkt). Her work is closely related to the feminist movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In her work she explored and reflected on the institution of marriage, working conditions of women, and the social role of women.[11][12] For example, for the work "Arbeiterinnenaltar" (Workers altar, 1981), she photographed workers at the coffee roastery Eduscho and questioned working conditions.[13] Her photo sequence, The White Cell Project (1983–1985), placed her subjects within a small cardboard room, 165 centimeters wide, that concretized the weight and constraint of societal expectations and norms. She invited other artists to create works within the White Cell, including Renate Kordon [de], Linda Christanell [de], and Liesbeth Waechter-Böhm.[13][14]

Pilz was a pioneer in media art in Austria. A well-known early work by Pilz was her intervention in a public space Kaorle am Karlsplatz (1982), for which she poured sand on the Karlsplatz in Vienna during the Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) and had sun loungers set up.[15][16] In 1991 Pilz created Delphi Digital, together with Roland Alton-Scheidl, for the Ars Electronica in Linz. The interactive digital installation engaged visitors in questioning environmental policy and democracy.[17] An updated version using smartphones was exhibited in 2015–2016.[18]

From 1990 to 1992 Pilz worked as a lecturer at the Technischen Universität Wien (Vienna University of Technology). In 1991 she was a visiting professor at Pandios Universität Athen, and from 1993 to 1994 she worked at Technischen Universität Graz.[11]

Pilz has donated many of her early works to the city of Vienna, including 2,000 prints and 10,000 negatives from the 1970s to the 1990s. A retrospective of her work, Meilensteine (Milestone) was shown in Vienna in 2015,[11][2][13] and her work is part of internationally shown exhibits on The Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s (2016–2018).[19][20][21][22][23]

In 2018, Margot Pilz was one of five women featured in Sie ist der andere Blick (She is the other gaze), a documentary film created by Christiana Perschon and artist Iris Dostal. The film focuses on feminist artists of the 1970s who were part of the Viennese art scene. The film examines the ways in which their artistic practice and their feminism interact, as they recall challenges and obstacles that they faced and how they overcame them in both personal and political spaces. The other women filmed are Renate Bertlmann, Linda Christanell [de], Lore Heuermann [de], and Karin Mack. The film won a 2018 Theodor Körner Prize.[24]

Exhibitions

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Awards

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  • 1983: Staatsstipendium für bildende Kunst[1]
  • 1985: Römerquelle Fotopreis[1]
  • 1988: Preis der Österreichischen Postsparkasse[42]
  • 1990: Theodor Körner Prize[1]
  • 1996: Pfann-Ohmann-Preis, Künstlerhaus, Vienna[42]
  • 2008: Goldener Lorbeer, Künstlerhaus, Vienna[42]
  • 2009: Goldener Lorbeer, Künstlerhaus, Vienna[42]
  • 2011: Preis der Stadt Wien für Bildende Kunst (Prize of the City of Vienna for Fine Arts)[43]

Bibliography

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Pilz's work is discussed in the following:

  • Aigner, Silvie; Karel, Johannes, eds. (2010). Raum_körper einsatz : positionen der skulptur [Re_figuring space : positions in sculpture]. Nürnberg: Verlag für Moderne Kunst. ISBN 978-3-86984-106-9.[44]
  • Birbaumer, Brigitte Borchardt-; Dieter, Ronte (2015). Aktionistinnen. Kunstmeile Krems. ISBN 978-3-901261-60-2.[37]
  • Ecker, Berthold; Aigner, Silvie, eds. (2015). Margot Pilz : Meilensteine : von der performativen Fotografie zur digitalen Feldforschung = Milestones : from performative photography to digital field studies. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-045841-1.[45]
  • Schor, Gabriele, ed. (22 December 2016). The Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s: Works from the Sammlung Verbund, Vienna. Vienna: Prestel. ISBN 978-3-7913-5446-0.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "50 Margot Pilz". Kunstasyl 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Personale im MUSA – Margot Pilz – Meilensteine". Presse-Service Rathauskorrespondenz. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  3. ^ Schedlmayer, Nina (24 February 2016). "Kultur Späte Zündung: Museen und Galerien entdecken vergessene Künstlerinnen neu Von ( 24. 2. 2016 )". Profil. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  4. ^ a b Krauthaker, Eva (November 2016). "Margot Pilz. Psychoanalytical-performative Photography". In Schor, Gabriele (ed.). The Feminist Avant-Garde. Art of the 1970s. The Sammlung Verbund Collection, Vienna. Munich, Germany: Prestel. pp. 126–137. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Margot Pilz". Margot Pilz. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b Vránová, Jana (2017). "Margot Pilz 7.6. – 30.7.2017". The Brno House of Arts. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b "The Spirit of St. Lucifer Nr. 3 Austria 1992 Margot PILZ". MKA. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  8. ^ a b "MARGOT PILZ. Meilensteine (Milestones), The House of Arts, Jaroslav Král Gallery 7/6/2017–30/7/2017". Wien Museum, MUSA. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b Pilz, Margot. "Once upon my time – Java 1942" (PDF). Margot Pilz. KÜNSTLERHAUS WIEN. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  10. ^ a b Rohringer, Susanne (23 February 2014). "Margot Pilz – Once upon my time – Java 1942 : Geschichten ohne Ende". Artmagazine. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "MARGOT PILZ. Meilensteine – The House of Arts, Jaroslav Král Gallery 7/6/2017–30/7/2017". Wein Museum MUSA. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  12. ^ Khatchikian, Alicja (n.d.). "Intertwining discourses: a visual history of bodies". roots§routes. Routes Agency Cura of Contemporary Arts Associazione culturale. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Paar, Tanja (25 November 2015). "Margot Pilz: "Wir wissen nicht, ob es Kunst ist" Interview". Die Standard. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Die Pionierin". Weiner Zeitung. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  15. ^ Vienna Art Week 2015 : creating common good. Vienna: Art Cluster Vienna. 23 September 2015. p. 25. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  16. ^ Krasny, Elke (25 September 2014). "Under Construction: Normalization takes Command Kunst – Stadt – Normalität, No 4". Common (25). Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Margot Pilz – Milestones". Wien Museum MUSA. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Margot Pilz Meilensteine Von der performativen Fotografie zur digitalen Feldforschung". FindArt.cc. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  19. ^ a b Schor, Gabriele, ed. (22 December 2016). The Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s: Works from the Sammlung Verbund, Vienna. Vienna: Prestel. ISBN 978-3-7913-5446-0.
  20. ^ a b "Feminist Avant Garde Of The 1970s Explored At The Photographers' Gallery". Artlyst. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Artist Talks". Zentrum für Kunst und Medien (ZKM). Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  22. ^ a b Kraus, Karola; Lamprechter, Cornelia (2017). "mumok Annual Press Conference 2017 Statement of the Directors" (PDF). mumok. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  23. ^ a b Shemilt, Elaine (2018). "WOMAN Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s from the SAMMLUNG VERBUND Collection, Vienna" (PDF). University of Dundee. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  24. ^ "Sie ist der andere Blick". I R I S D O S T A L. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  25. ^ "KUNSTBERICHT 1981". BUNDESMINISTERIUM FÜR UNTERRICHT UND KUNST. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  26. ^ Husslein-Arco, Agnes; Rainer, Cosima; Steinbrügge, Bettina, eds. (2011). 21er HausZurück in die Zukunft —Ein retroperspektiver Blick auf ein Museum (PDF). Berlin: Revolver Publishing. p. 169. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  27. ^ "Mostre dal 1979 al 2005". Dryphoto. 19 December 1979. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  28. ^ a b "WERKSCHAU XIII INTAKT – DIE PIONIERINNEN". Fotogallerie Wien. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Margot Pilz". Steirischer Herbst. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  30. ^ "Margot Pilz". Six Pack Film Database. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  31. ^ "Pilz. Die Auflösung der Fotografie – der kalte Raum". Database – Angewandte. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  32. ^ "Tacit Surveillance Austria 1992 Margot PILZ". MKA. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  33. ^ "Künstlerinnen – Positionen 1945 bis heute. Mimosen – Rosen – Herbstzeitlosen". Die Angewandte. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  34. ^ "Die Liebe zu den Objekten". artCore. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  35. ^ "MATRIX". Wien Museum MUSA. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  36. ^ "BEST OF AUSTRIA". Photography Now. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  37. ^ a b Birbaumer, Brigitte Borchardt-; Dieter, Ronte (2015). Aktionistinnen. Kunstmeile Krems. ISBN 978-3-901261-60-2.
  38. ^ "Aging Pride/Die Kraft des Alters at BELVEDERE". The Art VieW. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  39. ^ Tilley, John Martin (23 January 2019). "The Triumph of Venus". Office Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  40. ^ Robinson, Megan D. (27 September 2018). ""Women. Now." Reflect's Women's Experiences Across the Globe". Art & Object. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  41. ^ Davidson, Lisa (30 November 2018). "Women.Now. Marking catalytic years in women's rights, Women.Now. is a potent exhibition chronicling their impact on contemporary society and art..." We Heart. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  42. ^ a b c d "Preise und Ehrungen". Künstlerhaus. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  43. ^ "kunst- und kulturbericht / frauenkulturbericht der stadt wien 2011" (PDF). City of Vienna. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  44. ^ Aigner, Silvie; Karel, Johannes, eds. (2010). Raum_körper einsatz : positionen der skulptur [Re_figuring space : positions in sculpture]. Nürnberg: Verlag für Moderne Kunst. ISBN 978-3-86984-106-9.
  45. ^ Ecker, Berthold; Aigner, Silvie, eds. (2015). Margot Pilz : Meilensteine : von der performativen Fotografie zur digitalen Feldforschung = Milestones : from performative photography to digital field studies. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-045841-1.
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