by Artistic Research PhD Candidates of the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Visiting scholar from the Academy of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM)
Supervisors: Milena Bartlová and Dominik Lang, guest supervisor: Ruth Anderwald
The presentation will examine the sociology of space and its gendered implications on artistic practice, drawing insights from my dissertation, titled “Portrait of an Artist in Her Studio”, which explores how video as a medium can offer new ways of representing women artists.
In the Public Colloquium performative lecture, I will address the issue of female artists’ invisibility in the context of the artistic studio and their representation in relation to gender and space, which is historically defined by the myth of the male genius. I propose a paper presentation outlining a set of strategies termed “Vědomá neviditelnost” (Conscious Invisibility). One such strategy is the notion of “de-presentation” from Ann Sophie Lehmann’s work “Hiding Making – Showing Creation” (2013).
By emphasizing “Inside and Outside the Studio Window from a Gender Perspective,” I aim to challenge the binary division of male and female, private and public spaces, while also addressing the “post-studio” situation as discussed in Brian O’Doherty’s essay “Studio and Cube,” where he interprets the art studio as a mental space, gallery, and workshop. For this purpose, I make use of queer feminist methodologies of care as employed by cultural theorist Elke Krasny. My objective is to underscore the continued significance of physical space for artists. Additionally, I incorporate the “weak resistance” method by Polish philosopher Ewa Majewska, focusing on individuals operating behind the scenes, offering alternative perspectives beyond the heroic model of political action.
In my own artistic practice, I employ documentary videos to portray female artists in their creative spaces. Through these videos, I aim to challenge the traditional myth of the solitary male artistic genius in the studio and redefine the artistic studio context in terms of representing female artists. This project forms part of the larger research endeavour, “Off-Site Conversation” (2023), which consists of visiting artists’ studios to reexamine the conventional understanding of artistic work and studio creation.
Lenka Štěpánková, an interdisciplinary artist specializing in video and painting, is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague. Her doctoral research explores the historical contexts and contemporary representations of female artists in the Czech Republic and Austria, with a particular focus on gender in the context of artistic studios.