Dara Birnbaum

Dara Birnbaum (1946–2025, New York) was one of the most important media artists in the world. Based on an aesthetic analysis of the visual world of television and its structures and functions, her videos, later integrated into large installations, repeatedly revolve around the themes of female stereotypes and the media coverage of political events. However, her rigorous analysis still leaves enough room for the integration of the seductive aspects of television. From the beginning, one of Birnbaum's goals was to establish video as an equal form of artistic expression within art institutions.

The exhibition provided the first overview of Birnbaum's entire oeuvre, from her single-channel videos to her large installations from 1982 to 1994 and her graphic designs for books and catalogues. Birnbaum also developed two new works for public spaces for the exhibition in Vienna.

The exhibition concluded with a symposium on the topic of ‘Anthropology of the Media.’