Jürgenssen played an instrumental role in the international feminist avant–garde of the 1970s. In 1972, probing the clichés of gender representation, she took a picture of her own body in four poses to spell out the word frau (woman). In a signature self-portrait from 1976, titled Ich möchte hier raus! (I want out of here!), Jürgenssen, sporting a neat, white lace collar and brooch, presses her cheek and hands against the glass wall of a display case, suggesting in her entrapment the repressive codes of beauty and domesticity that women have often been subject to.
XL: 19 New Acquisitions in Photography, May 10, 2013–January 6, 2014
Kids label from 2025
A, B, C, D, E, F, G . . .
In this photo, Birgit Jürgenssen uses her body to spell out the word Frau. Frau means “woman” in German.
She made this artwork to celebrate women artists. In her time, women and their art were often ignored. What is a word or idea that’s important to you? Try spelling it with your body.
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