Toni Schmale

First Monographs
Phileas – The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art

“Stabilizing the A-Normative”—Sabeth Buchmann

The sculptural and performative practice of Toni Schmale (b. Hamburg, 1980; lives and works in Vienna) explores the intersections of body, material, and power structures. By deconstructing familiar forms and reassembling them into new sculptural languages, Schmale situates her work within a feminist critique of normative body politics, gender binaries, and heteronormativity. Her abstract visual language serves to unburden the representation of marginalized bodies, highlighting the complex relationships between material, form, and identity. Through her precise yet ambiguous steel constructions, she challenges dominant narratives of power, inviting viewers into a space of reflection and resistance.

The publication in the series First Monographs—previous volumes have been dedicated to the oeuvres of Birke Gorm (2024), Christian Kosmas Mayer (2023), and Sophie Thun (2022)—offers insight into Toni Schmale’s studio and practice. Essays by curator Eduardo Andres Alfonso, based in New York; Sabeth Buchmann, professor of modern and postmodern art, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna; the scholar, professor, and curator Lex Morgan Lancaster, Cooper Union, New York; and the author and curator Kate Sutton reflect on Schmale’s wide-ranging oeuvre.