Invitation to the Defense of Franzis Kabisch
The Institute for Art Theory and Cultural Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna kindly invites you to the defense of Franzis Kabisch's dissertation project "Plot Twist Abortion — Images, Narratives, and Discourses on Abortion in German-Language Film and Television".
The Examination Panel is made up of: PhD. Dipl.-Des. Janine Jembere (chair), Prof. Dr. Ruth Sonderegger (supervisor 1), Prof. Dr. Skadi Loist (supervisor 2), Prof. Dr. Dagmar Brunow (external appraiser).
The defense will take place in German at room M13a at the Academy.
Abstract
This dissertation examines depictions of abortion in German and Austrian films and television series produced between 1990 and 2020. The analysis – critical of power structures and representation – focuses not only on the abortion procedures themselves, but also on the decision-making processes before and the consequences after. Which conflicts are portrayed and at whose expense? The constructions and constellations of the characters are also taken into account: Whose perspectives are prioritized, whose words carry weight, whose feelings are centered? Overall, strikingly dominant images, narratives, and character stereotypes are highlighted, as are conspicuous gaps, allusions, and absences. By comparing fictional depictions with social discourse, the dissertation also examines the relevance and effects of the (in)visibility of abortions in films and television. With references to feminist studies within visual culture as well as queer studies research, a simplified understanding of visibility is put into question, the necessity of invisibility is analyzed and the desire for realistic or positive images is examined through a power-critical lens.
Short biography
Franzis Kabisch lives and works as a filmmaker, artistic researcher, and author in Vienna and Berlin. She conducts scientific and artistic research on the representation of abortion, currently as part of a doctoral program at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her last film "getty abortions" (2023) has won multiple awards at festivals such as DOK Leipzig, Vienna Shorts, Beirut Shorts, Bogoshorts, and Queer Lisboa. She is active in various pro-choice groups and part of the queer-feminist film group "Lust & Krise." In addition to her artistic work, she teaches at universities, gives workshops, and writes for Missy Magazine. www.franziskabisch.net