MARLENE
HEIDINGER
Marlene Heidinger (*1996, Vienna) is a painter, curator, and filmmaker based in Vienna, Austria. She pursued studies in painting and experimental animation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the École de Communication Visuelle in Paris. In June 2024, she earned her master’s degree in Curatorial Studies (“/ecm”) from the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Her master’s thesis, “When Artists Curate: From the Studio to the Exhibition Space,” explored curatorial strategies employed by artists, focusing on the use of the studio as an exhibition space. This work reflects her broader interest in curating as an extension of artistic practice.
Marlene Heidinger works with both still and moving images, which enables her to discover new approaches to multidimensional storytelling. At the heart of her artistic practice lies research-based, conceptual painting, which she combines with textile art, crafts, and a critical reflection on social and political structures.
In addition to her work as a visual artist, she curated the section "supported by..." presenting emerging artists at the 2026 art fair Baden near Vienna and is a founding member of the nomadic curatorial collective SICC, that has a strong focus on presenting sequential art.
Download a CV for a list of exhibitions, publications & prizes.
ARTIST STATEMENT
„I paint moments of encounter for people who sometimes feel out of place so they can enjoy the comedy of not belonging.“
In my paintings, texts, installations, and textile-sculptural elements, I explore themes that concern social coexistence: how communities are formed and how belonging is negotiated within them. My most recent works examine ‘social choreographies’ and patriarchally shaped phenomena such as productivity, which have gained increased importance in a climate of self-optimization. My work functions as a critical and humorous commentary on a society that maximizes productivity while simultaneously devaluing potential in true human connection. To do so, I draw on aesthetic and material elements of the corporate world, such as uniforms and the behavioral codes associated with them. I contrast these with moments of lightness, movement, and playful unpredictability, creating scenes that oscillate between conformity and chaos.
FEATURED ON
November 2025 | Interview mit Marlene Heidinger, Auðunn Kvaran, Nikoletta Georgakopoulou von Daniel Lichterwaldt
November 2022 | Interview mit Marlene Heidinger, von Daniel Lichterwaldt