On March 13, 2020, a presentation of the publication Uterus Effects was scheduled to take place at the Museum of the 16th District in Vienna (Ottakringmuseum). However, due to the safety measures imposed by the spread of COVID-19, the event has not yet been realized in front of a Viennese audience. We take this opportunity to present it to our country instead.
Uterus Effects Publication
The publication Uterus Effects is an experimental feminist project aimed at identifying and analyzing societal, political, and cultural interpretations of both the functions (motherhood) and dysfunctions (illnesses) of the female reproductive system. Given the lack of public discourse and the insufficient attention paid to women in advanced stages of pregnancy, postpartum, or recovering from cancer or other reproductive system diseases, this publication seeks to provide a necessary space for those who wish to share their experiences or thoughts on these issues. A significant aspect of this exploration is the role of art, particularly its function as a potential therapeutic tool for faster psycho-physical recovery.
The publication contains a collection of texts, illustrations, and free (artistic) forms that question the relationship between art, motherhood, and reproductive system illnesses. The works were selected through an open call, and the production was funded by the Vienna City Department of Culture (MA7) and the 16th District Cultural Office (Bezirksorientierte Kulturangelegenheiten). The publication is divided into three sections: the first part covers analytical texts that, from various theoretical and methodological perspectives, interpret themes such as the dysfunctionality of motherhood, as depicted in the artist Tabita Rezaire’s work Sugar Walls Teardom (text by Đulija Guaran), the maternal aspect of the Virgin Mary (text by Jovana Pikulić), and art therapy as a means of dealing with trauma (text by Ivana Mančić). The second part contains works describing (negative) experiences with institutional childbirth treatment, in the form of diaries by Petja Grafenauer and letters by Jelena Milojević. This section also includes an experimental documentary drama and a translated questionnaire by the famous Austrian feminist Kete Lajhter, edited and prepared by Jelena Micić. In the third and final part of the publication, readers can view illustrations and short explanations of works by artists: Dženana Pindžo-Mekić, Flora Lu, Jana Adamović, Jelena Cvetković, Kathleen Day, Laura Manke, Marija Janković, Mia Arsenijević, Milena Gajić, Nina Babić, Sanja Umičević, Saša Bezjak, Tatjana Hardikov, Vladislava Savić, and Željka Aleksić.
The editor of the publication is Amalija Stojsavljević (Pančevo, Serbia, 1984), an art historian and curator who founded the association KUNSTENTROPIE – Verein für zeitgenössische und nicht-akademische Kunst und Kulturveranstaltungen in early 2018. The goal of this association is to support and promote non-academic and marginal artistic content through various activities such as exhibitions, workshops, discussions, or festivals. The association’s target group is young artists and young people in general who wish to develop creatively and experiment in the field of art. Given Austria’s unique cultural context, particularly the interaction of young people from different parts of the world, further fueled by the migrant crisis, the association places special emphasis on promoting interculturalism and diversity, as well as promoting social minorities in both Austria and abroad.
The publication will soon be available in bookstores, but for now, you can order a copy on the KUNSTENTROPIE website.