VALIE EXPORT's legendary Expanded Cinema action “TAPP und TASTKINO” is one of the most cited works of contemporary European art as well as a key work of feminist Actionism.
Together with Peter Weibel, VALIE EXPORT first appeared in front of the public on November 11, 1968 in Vienna and shortly afterwards on November 14, 1968 in Munich as part of the 1st Meeting of Independent European Filmmakers, with her naked upper body covered only by a box strapped to her chest. The “black box” was open to the front, inviting viewers to experience the artist's breasts by touch.
In this performance, VALIE EXPORT was not only concerned with the question of the role of the female body in art, but also with an experimental approach to photography and film. By having her art actions and body stagings photographed and recorded on film, making this documentation an integral part of her art and partly choreographing the recordings herself, VALIE EXPORT created a new art form that transcended the boundaries of performance art, photography and video art.
In addition to photos and videos of the “TAPP und TASTKINO” performance from a distance, which also document the crowd, there are close-ups that capture the crucial moment of contact between the viewers and the artist: the mutual eye contact that reverses the voyeuristic gaze of the cinema. In our case, the scene was photographed by Werner Schulz, photographer and co-organizer of the filmmakers' meeting. The viewer, which we see here, is also a participant in the meeting, the director and filmmaker Ed Sommer.
VALIE EXPORT writes about her special approach to Expanded Cinema: “As always, the screening takes place in the dark. The only difference is that the movie theater has become somewhat smaller. There is only room for two hands. To see the film, i.e. in this case to sense and feel it, the viewer (user) must put both hands through the entrance of the auditorium. This raises the curtain, which previously was only lifted for the eyes, but now finally also for both hands.
The tactile reception stands against the deception of voyeurism. For as long as the citizen is content with the reproduced copy of sexual freedom, the state spares itself the sexual revolution. 'TAPP und TASTKINO' is an example of activating the audience through new interpretation.” (VALIE EXPORT)
ES
Gelatin silver print on matt baryta paper. Vintage (photo: Werner Schulz). 99 × 111,5 cm (106,5 × 119,3 cm)
(39 × 43 ⅞ in. (41 ⅞ × 47 in.)). Inscribed in pencil with the work information and the Fotocredit on the reverse: VALIE EXPORT TAPP UND TASTKINO 1968 Foto: WERNER SCHULZ. Catalogue raisonné: With a certificate from the Studio VALIE EXPORT, Vienna. Unnumbered copy from an edition of 3 + 2 a.p. [3141] Framed
Provenance
Private Collection, Berlin (acquired in 1996 at Galerie Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert, Cologne)
VALIE EXPORT's legendary Expanded Cinema action “TAPP und TASTKINO” is one of the most cited works of contemporary European art as well as a key work of feminist Actionism.
Together with Peter Weibel, VALIE EXPORT first appeared in front of the public on November 11, 1968 in Vienna and shortly afterwards on November 14, 1968 in Munich as part of the 1st Meeting of Independent European Filmmakers, with her naked upper body covered only by a box strapped to her chest. The “black box” was open to the front, inviting viewers to experience the artist's breasts by touch.
In this performance, VALIE EXPORT was not only concerned with the question of the role of the female body in art, but also with an experimental approach to photography and film. By having her art actions and body stagings photographed and recorded on film, making this documentation an integral part of her art and partly choreographing the recordings herself, VALIE EXPORT created a new art form that transcended the boundaries of performance art, photography and video art.
In addition to photos and videos of the “TAPP und TASTKINO” performance from a distance, which also document the crowd, there are close-ups that capture the crucial moment of contact between the viewers and the artist: the mutual eye contact that reverses the voyeuristic gaze of the cinema. In our case, the scene was photographed by Werner Schulz, photographer and co-organizer of the filmmakers' meeting. The viewer, which we see here, is also a participant in the meeting, the director and filmmaker Ed Sommer.
VALIE EXPORT writes about her special approach to Expanded Cinema: “As always, the screening takes place in the dark. The only difference is that the movie theater has become somewhat smaller. There is only room for two hands. To see the film, i.e. in this case to sense and feel it, the viewer (user) must put both hands through the entrance of the auditorium. This raises the curtain, which previously was only lifted for the eyes, but now finally also for both hands.
The tactile reception stands against the deception of voyeurism. For as long as the citizen is content with the reproduced copy of sexual freedom, the state spares itself the sexual revolution. 'TAPP und TASTKINO' is an example of activating the audience through new interpretation.” (VALIE EXPORT)
ES
