Opening: September 30, 2026, 7 p.m.
Exhibition duration: October 1 – November 6, 2026

The autumn exhibition at galerie gugging presents artistic positions from Gugging, Art Brut and contemporary art that engage with femininity and identity in different ways. In the dialogue between the works, diverse perspectives on womanhood and its representation in art emerge.The exhibition features works by Ida Buchmann, Verena Bretschneider, Misleidys Castillo Pedroso, Margot, Christa Wiener and many other female artists. Also on view are works by Gugging artist Laila Bachtiar, as well as rarities from the early years of Gugging, ranging from Emma Brosch to Karoline Rosskopf. Works by werd:art artists Patricia Musch, Iris Ewald, Elisabeth Mraz and Suzanne Dixon broaden the perspective to include contemporary artistic positions outside traditional art institutions.

With the autumn exhibition on women, curated by Timna Tichy, galerie gugging explores a subject that has accompanied artists for centuries and has lost none of its relevance today: the representation of femininity. The starting point for the exhibition is the observation that women artists have been significantly less visible throughout art history – and for a long time in Gugging as well – and often received recognition only at a later stage. on women takes up this historical development without making it the central focus. Instead, the exhibition turns its attention to different artistic approaches and explores the diverse ways in which femininity can be interpreted today – between personal experience, social concepts of gender roles and individual visual languages.

Curator Timna Tichy explains: “With this exhibition, I want to place women and their engagement with femininity at the centre. Positions from Gugging, Art Brut and the contemporary art scene enter into a dialogue around femininity and the subject of womanhood. The works challenge established attributions, reveal the lasting effects and consequences of gender roles, and negotiate gender identities.”

Different Positions – Shared Perspectives

The exhibition brings together women artists from different generations, backgrounds and artistic practices, whose works offer diverse approaches to the subject of femininity. At the heart of on women are works by Gugging artist Laila Bachtiar, whose dense, highly detailed drawings on paper portray women from her personal surroundings, offering intimate insights into interpersonal relationships. Also included are works by Lia Lydia Silvia, who, like Bachtiar, works at the atelier gugging. She approaches the subject of femininity in an abstract manner, translating inner sensations into an individual visual language. Her works were recently shown as part of the anniversary exhibition at museum gugging.

The autumn exhibition at galerie gugging also presents works by Swiss Art Brut artist Ida Buchmann, one of the most significant female positions in international Art Brut. Her distinctive figures combine image and text in her own unmistakable way, addressing gender roles, family and observations of everyday life. Buchmann’s works were created with acrylic paint, Edding marker, oil pastel and ink at an impressive speed. Language also plays a central role in the delicate works of Hungarian artist Maria Magdolna Balassa, whose softly coloured pencil drawings are often accompanied by deeply personal poems and texts.

Cuban artist Misleidys Castillo Pedroso creates powerful female figures in intensely coloured gouache works situated between mythology, motherhood and the present day. Her luminous colours and self-assured visual worlds encounter the imposing, large-scale assemblages of German artist Verena Bretschneider, who combines everyday objects into new sculptural narratives, raising questions about identity and social attributions.As part of the Albertina’s collection, her works have already been exhibited at the museum on several occasions.

French artist Margot augments historical black-and-white photographs with ornamental drawings, opening up new perspectives on memory, identity and perception. She combines different drawing techniques and favours large-scale works. The poetic depictions of nature by Christa Wiener are created with pencil and several layers of coloured pencil. They draw on organic forms and add a quiet, contemplative dimension to the exhibition.

Historical works on paper by Emma Brosch and Karoline Rosskopf serve as a reminder that women artists in Gugging were visible only sporadically for a long time. This perspective is complemented by further positions from the early Gugging period, works that are rarely shown publicly today and are now considered absolute rarities. Their inclusion brings into focus a part of the artistic diversity that received little attention for many years. In dialogue with the contemporary positions, both developments and recurring themes and motifs become visible.

The exhibition concept also includes a collaboration with the social creative laboratory werd:art in Vienna. Works by Patricia Musch, Iris Ewald, Elisabeth Mraz and Suzanne Dixon broaden the perspective to include contemporary artistic positions outside traditional art institutions. Painting, drawing, sculpture and textile art complement the presentation with individual artistic languages and open up further perspectives on identity, the body and self-perception.

on women brings together different generations, cultural backgrounds and forms of artistic expression, inviting visitors to reconsider femininity, identity and social gender roles.

We warmly invite you to the opening on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 7 pm at galerie gugging. We look forward to welcoming you to the opening together with numerous women artists participating in the exhibition.

Timna Tichy, Nina Katschnig and the galerie gugging