From 13 April to 30 November 2025, MAMUZ Schloss Asparn/Zaya is devoting itself to prehistoric representations of the female and their lasting influence on contemporary artistic works. In the form of figurines, sketches or photographs, the exhibition curated by Elisabeth von Samsonow and Katharina Rebay-Salisbury brings together archaeological finds and contemporary art.

The female body, its charisma and power, has been an inspiration for depictions of all kinds for many generations of artists. Female figurines from prehistory continue to resonate in the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. For example, when Egon Schiele sketched the famous Venus of Willendorf in 1918, Meret Oppenheim created the bronze primeval Venus in 1933 and Maresa Jung took photographs of vegetables reminiscent of female figurines in 2021. In the early 20th century, this prehistoric influence was seen as inspiring, while at the same time tempting us to tell history in a different way, namely from a female perspective. The figurines thus formed the basis of an alternative to historiography written from a privileged male perspective.

The exhibition presents prehistoric representations, primarily from Austria, and confronts them with works by contemporary female artists, which demonstrate the enormous fascination of the new art for the older art. The juxtaposition of old and new art illustrates the influence and the unbroken active reception of archaeological finds. On the occasion of this exhibition, finds with female connotations from Austrian collections and museums are presented and placed in an international and contemporary art context. Austria's collections are home to the most important archaeological references for contemporary feminist art worldwide, which focus on the female body, its charisma, power and relationship to life.

Franz Pieler, Scientific Director of the MAMUZ, explains: ‘The special exhibitions at MAMUZ Schloss Asparn/Zaya always present selected aspects of the prehistoric and protohistoric collection in greater depth by taking up approaches from neighbouring sciences or narratives from the fields of everyday culture or art. This year, the focus is on prehistoric figurines, which are presented on the one hand as a fascinating field of archaeological research, but also in their important role as models for the development of modern art in the second half of the 19th century and as a lasting inspiration for contemporary artists. The exhibition deals with the formal language of prehistory, but also with the influence of the archaeological discovery of prehistoric art on the forms of expression and self-image of modern art.’

Just as the two curators, Elisabeth von Samsonow, a versatile artist, and Katharina Rebay-Salisbury, an archaeologist, come together from different positions, the exhibits from art and archaeology also come together and yet unite to form a meaningful symbiosis.

Elisabeth von Samsonow points out the urgency of the exhibition that has now been realised: ‘The Language of the Goddesses is an exhibition here at MAMUZ that dares to experiment in a way that was long overdue for Austria, namely the combination of archaeological finds with contemporary art. How can we imagine this? The archaeological finds are not just any finds, they are finds of female figurines from prehistory and early history that are not only known in Austria, but worldwide, such as the Venus of Willendorf, which has pop star status. These figurines from Lower Austria had a significant influence on international feminist art in the late 20th century and continue to serve as references for the production and recreation not only of a female art history, but of a female subject in history. This is now a very, very important thing, an experiment. It was long overdue, and now it's finally on show here.’

Katharina Rebay-Salisbury is responsible for the archaeological part: ‘Depictions of women in prehistoric art inspired generations of artists to focus on the female body, its charisma and power. Figurines told history in a different, feminine way and became important motifs of feminist art in the 20th century. The exhibition shows prehistoric depictions of human figures from Austria and Europe in dialogue with works by international female artists. From the iconic Venus figurines of hunter-gatherer societies to finds from the Neolithic and metal ages, the unbroken reception of archaeological finds is illustrated.’

Works by Egon Schiele, Judy Chicago, Pierre Bouillon, Meret Oppenheim, Louise Bourgeois, Maresa Jung, Nicole Malbec, Anna Anvidalfarei, Marina Stiegler, Francesca Aldegani, Mari Otberg, Elisabeth von Samsonow, Renate Bertlman, Gerti Machacek, Sascha Zaitseva, Laura Hirch, Maria Biljan-Bilger, Ida-Marie Corell, Larissa Kopp, Florian Aschka, Iris Andraschek, Anabel Scheffold, Ulli Lust, Lizzy Mayrl and Linda Steiner. Highlights from an archaeological perspective are the Venus figurines from Eggendorf, Falkenstein, Willendorf (replica) and Langenzersdorf (replica), the human figurines from Langenlebarn as well as the female toad from Maissau and the votive toad from Munich.

The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.