KINGA JAKABFFY
BIO
Solidarity, feminism, identity, and sexuality are the core themes of Kinga Jakabffy’s art. The Viennese artist deals with the lives of women, BIPOC, queer and non-binary people. She seeks to give those realities a creative spotlight. Even though Jakabffy’s art discusses experiences of discrimination and obstacles in the daily lives of her protagonists, she can create an atmosphere of solidarity, support, and moments of freedom. She reinterprets those narratives of discrimination and gives her audience a feeling of togetherness and belonging.
In 2023 she participated in three artist residencies, one with 15 fellow international artists at Balaton in Hungary and two more in Paris, in Montmartre and at PréAvie. Recently her work was auctioned at the 23rd neunerhaus Kunstauktion at MAK Museum of Applied arts and online at Palais Kinsky in Vienna. Also in 2023, her queer and feminist work was promoted in a 3 minute exclusive ORF Wien Heute interview and in a collaboration with Absolut Vodka x Electric Love Festival for which she designed the 10 year anniversary bottle. In 2022, after group shows in 2021 and 2020, she exhibited with great success a solo show at Parallel Vienna about reproduction rights. She is currently represented by the Viennese Gallery Kunst ab Hinterhof and Künstlerhaus Wien.
ARTIST STATEMENT
A woman is choked by her ex-partner until she faints. He spills petrol over her and lights her body. A few weeks later the woman dies because of the severe injuries.
This murder marks the dramatic climax of femicides that happen every year in Austria. In the majority of cases, it is the ex-partner or another relative that kills.
This tragedy happened a few meters away from my studio. Days afterward, I am angry, sad, moved, and in shock by this act of brutality and the endless injustice that this woman had to endure. I could be her; she could be me: violence against women, non-binary people, the queer community, and trans-people is a structural problem in Austria that happens in every social circle, no matter racial, educational, or class differences.
Ever since, art was a way for me to express my anger and feelings, and to talk about political and social problems. That is what I did after this murder happened. I created the piece of art „FREE SPIRIT“.
Through my art, I want to give people that are especially confronted by those brutalities and forms of gender-based, racial, or sexual discrimination, the possibility of being themselves. I focus on their realities and make them the protagonists of their stories. I portray them in self-aware poses and embraced them in a community. By doing so, I open up new possibilities for the future for all of us.
My art is far off from the male gaze or heteronormative images. It is about finding oneself, exploring one’s power and freedom - in a society formed by solidarity and acceptance.
I deal with questions of identity, love, freedom, sexual orientation, and the hiding of one’s true self. As a queer daughter of parents that had to flee from a political regime to Austria, I am well aware of those questions.
My art aims to encourage, show alternatives, and open a productive discussion about difficult topics. But my art is not dark. I strive to show the ease and the affection that occurs besides experiences of discrimination and violence. We often find in this a connecting momentum of solidarity and community. This is what inspires my art.
ART EXHIBITIONS
19.-20. April 2024 WINNA: WOVEN IN US, Group show, Fash Rev AT Fashion Studios, Museumsquartier Wien
21. March 2024 UNDRESSED, Kunst ab Hinterhof
20. March 2024 Gelage #6 Kunst ab Hinterhof mit Hausbar Wien und Anna Pelz
13.8. 23 - 14. Aug. 2024 Balaton Art Residency, Group Show, Szólád, Hungary
25. May - 29. June 2023 IDENTITÄT DES NACKTEN KÖRPERS, Group Show, Raum im Raum, 1070 Vienna
13. May - 30. June 2023 RAMI, Solo Show, 1070 Vienna
11.-14. May 2023 PARALLEL EDITIONS, Kunst ab Hinterhof, Neuer Kunstverein Wien NKW
01. Feb - 31. July 2023 NO PANIC, Solo Show, 1070 Vienna
19-20. Nov. 2022 VIENNA ART WEEK, Open studio days
05.-06. Nov. 2022 POP UP BELLES CHOSES #1, mit Käthe Schönle, Lym Moreno, La petite galerie, Guckschatz, Atelierhaus Pelzgasse, 1150 Wien
06. - 11. Sept. 2022 PARALLEL VIENNA, Soloshow BEYOND BORDERS. on reproduction rights, with Marschalek Art Management. 1180 Vienna
12. - 15. May 2022 PARALLEL EDITIONS, Kunst ab Hinterhof, Semperdepot Léhargasse 8, 1060 Vienna
11. Nov. - 11. Dec. 2021 OPAK, mit Xenia Hausner, Erwin Wurm, Franz West, Franz Zadrazil, u.v.m., Leerstand Gallery, Kunst ab Hinterhof, Weihburggasse 11, 1010 Vienna
09. Nov. - 10. Dec. 2021 PRESS DAYS, Heroes & Heroines, 1070 Vienna
07. - 12. Sept. 2021 Parallel Art Fair, curated by Kunst ab Hinterhof, Vienna
25. - 29. May 2021 Support your local girl gang, Ausstellungsraum, Vienna
06. - 30. May 2021 Hoffnung. Group exhibition curated by Einflussraum, Vienna
08. Oct. – 31. January 2021 Nach wie vor. Group exhibition curated by Kunst ab Hinterhof, Orpheum, Graz
22. - 27.Sept. 2020 Parallel Art Fair, curated by Kunst ab Hinterhof, Vienna
23.-24. July 2020 Oxymoron Galerie, Lindengasse 65, 1070 Wien
15. May – 15. June 2020 Alone. Not Lonely. Group Exhibition, Einflussraum, Vienna
26. Apr. 2020 Junge Kunst Vol. Online Pt 04, Group Exhibition, Instagram
11. Oct. – 30. Oct. 2019 Wasserspiegel. Solo Show kuratiert von Junge Kunst, Süsswasser, Vienna
23. Mar. – 18 May 2019 Miniscule, Group Show, Crosslane Projects Kendal UK
8. Mar. 2019 Fundraiser Event Changes for Women by Improper Walls, Vienna
1. Feb. 2019 Art Attech, Group Show, The Loft, Vienna
20. Oct. – 6. Dec. 2018 Junge Kunst Vol 8.0, St. Art & Damani Vienna
17. Nov. 2018 Junge Kunst Markt, Damani Vienna
04. Sept. 2018 Creative Prism No. 4., Angewandte Innovation Lab, Vienna
26. - 29. Jun. 2018 Open Studio, Solo Show, 1090 Vienna
14. Feb. – 02. Mar. 2018 Clitical Talk RRRiot Festival, Improper Walls Vienna
03.-17. Nov. 2018 Wanderlust Solo Exhibition. Thompson’s, AT, 2018
AUCTIONS
7.Dec. 2023: ART FOR SIERRA LEONE, Kunstauktion https://www.artforsierraleone.com/
6. Nov. 2023: MAK, 23. neunerhaus Kunstauktion
23.-24. July 2020 Oxymoron Galerie, Lindengasse 65, 1070 Wien
ARTIST RESIDENCY
Sept. 18 - 28, 2023: Paris, Le PréàVie at Le Pré-Saint-Gervais http://lepreavie.com/le-preavie/
August 22 - 29, 2023: Paris, Montmartre Rue Paul Albert
July 31 - August 13th, 2023: Lake Balaton Art Residency with 15 international artists, Szólád Hungary https://balatonartresidency.com
PRESS
August 2023 Kultura.hu: Del-Balatoni Kortárs Alkotomühelyi
June 2023 ORF.at: Wienerin malt bunte Kunst für Gleichstellung
June 2023 ORF. Wien Heute: 2,5 min. Video Interview
June 2023: ABSOLUT VODKA x Electric Love Bottle Design
June 2023: ELECTRIC LOVE Kinga Jakabffy
June 1, 2023: PERNOD RICARD Absolut Vodka Collaboration
May-Aug. 2023 Absolut Vodka Collaboration
November 19, 2022 Esel.at VIENNA ART WEEK
November 2022 VIENNA ART WEEK Open Studio Days
September 2022 Les Nouveaux Riches: Raum A311. Beyond Borders
September 2022 Wiener Zeitung: Die Kunstform der Vergesslichkeit
September 2022 PARALLEL VIENNA
September 2022 Myculture App: PARALLEL VIENNA
September 2022 Die Stadtspionin: PARALLEL VIENNA
September 2022 Bohema Kunstmagazin: Lifting heaviness with lightness
September 2022 1000 things: PARALLEL VIENNA
August 2022 Bezirksblatt Wien: Ausstellung "Beyond Borders" – über Grenzen hinweg
March 2022 Weltfrauentag 2022: 5 Wiener Künstlerinnen, die ihr kennen solltet
March 2022 The Uncoiled Art Magazine Interview
March 2022 Petra Sittig The Artist's Voice Interview on Youtube
September 2021 The Greats: Soon we will be together
June 16, 2021 The Vienna-based illustrators you should hang on your wall
Oct. 2020 Frauendomäne Artist Portrait
Sept. 2020 Künstlerinnen Portrait Kingas Grapes, Kunst ab Hinterhof
Sept. 2020 Al-tiba9 Contemporary Art Magazine, Artist Talk on Facebook Live
Sept. 2020 Talkaccino, Interview Artist Portrait
June 2020 Heute, Commission work for Austrian actress Kristina Sprenger
May 2020 Kronenzeitung, Exhibition Info Alone. Not lonely.
May 2020 Kronenzeitung: Museum öffnet für einzelne Besucher
Oct. 2019 Krone.at, „WASSERSPIEGEL“ Wienerin begeistert mit fabelhafter Kunst
Oct. 2019 Kronenzeitung, Info Solo Show Wasserspiegel
PUBLISHING & SPEAKING
July 2019 Medium.com How do artists think? — An insight into the process of painting an artwork
July 2019 Medium.com How to be creative?
April 2019 Medium.com How I figured out a creative routine
April 2019 Medium.com My first year as a full time artist
Oct. 2018 Co-Hosting “1st Game of Creativity” Championship
Sept. 2018 Speaker @ Creative Prism No. 4.
July 2018 Creativity Gym Spotlight Interview
AWARDS
CCA VENUS 2023 Category Illustration. Projekt: #visible
Agency: gp rosenberg
Illustration: Kinga Jakabffy
Effie 2019
Staatspreis 2018
CCA VENUS 2018 Category Photography
Agency: TBWA\Wien
Campaign: Da passiert was.
Client: Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
Idea & Concept: Kinga Jakabffy
Photographer: Stefan Draschan
FUNDING
Förderung durch das Bundesministerium für Kunst, Kultur, öffentlichen Dienst und Sport, 2021-2023