Frauen in 3 Akten

In a world shaped by globalisation and migration and still largely dominated by men, where the struggle for power and influence increasingly discriminates against socially disadvantaged communities, the authors featured at the exhibition focus on groups in society who are at risk of marginalisation. They deal with issues such as the sense of belonging, vulnerability and identity, and follow touching stories in their exploration of the complex nature of human relations. Referencing Lilla Szász’s profound inspiration through literature and film (her work is the focal point of the exhibition), the three acts create a dialogue between artistic genres and highly distinctive life stories.

Here sunbathers photographed by Szász at the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg rub shoulders with navy cadets in Gluklya’s video as they march through the city carrying delicate white dresses in front of them. Equally vulnerable looking in Lilla Szász’s photographs are the Russian-Jewish veterans now living in New York. The sense of insecurity felt from being so far from home provides the connection with Katarina Šoškić, who documented every single location of her temporary stays in Vienna. The complex relationships in unorthodox families emerge from Paz Errázuriz’s photographs of transvestites in Chilean brothels and in Lilla Szász’s photo series featuring prostitutes in Budapest. In a trust-based communication between women of different generations, Maya Schweizer’s grandmother replies to questions in a fragmentary stream of consciousness; Ditte Lyngkaer Pedersen explores the unexplained story behind and old picture; and Lilla Szász recreates the life of the deceased previous owner of her apartment using found set pieces.