Announcement of Re-Opening of the VBKÖ Archive and Spring Program
The Vereinigung bildender Künstlerinnen Österreichs (VBKÖ) is pleased to announce the re-opening of its archive. This first extensive renovation of the archive – made possible with the generous support of the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna (MA 7) – was undertaken to improve environmental conditions for the long-term preservation of the association’s historical materials and to further open the archive to a wider public. The archive documents over a century of artistic practice and ever changing queer feminist organizing by women* artists since VBKÖ’s foundation in 1910 – as well as the association’s complicated and contradictory history.
With the main part of the renovation now finalized, we present a series of public activities from February to April 2026 to celebrate this milestone. We will introduce the renovated archive through exhibitions, radio programs, performances, guided tours, and public conversations. The events will offer insight into VBKÖ’s history, the scope of the archive, and current approaches to archival practice. We also aim to open the archive as a living space for dialogue around feminist art histories and practices and to open it up to the public for further research and exchange.
To strengthen our members’ long-term commitment to the association and to stress the ongoing relevance of archival and artistic research, an archival residency for members of the VBKÖ has been established.
Feminist Archival Practices at VBKÖ – February to April 2026
From February 12, the program kicks off with a five-episode radio series on Radio Orange Vienna which is developed in collaboration with Ženergija and airs on Thursdays at 19:00. The show is hosted by Zoe Gudović, featuring VBKÖ members and exploring association’s archive or archival practices.
On March 5, sound artist Tahereh Nourani will activate the VBKÖ archive by her collaborative performance, adding missing voices and languages to the archive, while exploring the technologies of resilience, survival, and solidarity.
From March 14th on, we will celebrate the re-opening with an exhibition and a series of performances, to mark both the archive renovation and the enduring engagement of VBKÖ members. The events will bring together members, researchers, and a widerthe public to reflect on our association’s history and future. Additionally, we are hosting a networking event for queer feminist archive organizations, bringing together local and international archives, artists, and researchers to exchange strategies, foster collaboration, and explore shared approaches to preserving feminist and queer cultural heritage.
The program will also feature presentations connected to the VBKÖ members’ research residency, showcasing artistic and research-based projects that engage with the archive and contemporary questions of queer feminist thought, history, and collective knowledge.