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.
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Marlene Heidinger draws inspiration from banal interactions, sociodynamics, the lack of privacy in modern day media and addresses the relationship of aesthetics and politics. Her artistic practice strives to find new ways of portraying complex topics through mostly whimsical approaches. She works both in the still and the moving image, which allows her to discover new approaches to multidimensional storytelling.
In addition to her work as a visual artist, she is a founding member of the curatorial collective SICC, that has a strong focus on presenting sequential art. Download a CV for a list of exhibitions, publications & prizes.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Lines are everywhere in my work. I use them in the act of painting itself — each brushstroke is a mark, a movement, a path. I use them narratively — storylines frozen mid-motion, capturing a snapshot of movement. I use them compositionally — people dancing in formations, conga lines winding through the canvas, bodies linking together through rhythm and touch. In these moments, lines are more than just form; they become an allegory for connection, for the individual’s place within a larger social choreography. Lines shape the way we understand relationships: we draw lines, cross lines, blur lines. We set boundaries and push against them.
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Beyond the canvas, lines take on a structural role in my garland pieces. Cut from canvas and suspended by rope, these fragments are reassembled into interconnected compositions. The garlands, often found in party settings, echo the themes of my work: celebration, collective movement, and the interplay between individual and communal experience.
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These moments of connection — both literal and conceptual — can be found throughout my body of work. As a painter, I am driven by the imperative of making, and for me, there is no making without joining. As Tim Ingold writes:
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„The carpenter and the weaver are equally driven by the imperative of making, and for both, there can be no making without joining.“ (The Life of Lines, 2015)
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Through painting and material experimentation, I explore these junctions—where bonds form, where layers overlap, where movement is shaped by connection. Each line, each knot, each suspended fragment is an inquiry into what holds us together.
FEATURED ON
November 2022 | Interview mit Marlene Heidinger, von Daniel Lichterwaldt