Dr. Ulrike Matzer

Since fall 2024 she is the director of the Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (MSL) Centre, Vienna. Besides this, she works as a postdoctoral researcher, author, and critic. Since the academic year 2022/23 she lectures at the University of Zurich, as part of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Theory and History of Photography. Prior to that, she was a visiting professor at the Photography Department of the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Her work is situated at the intersections of visual culture, gender studies, the history of modern architecture, and media history. Most recently she has written and published on photography as a medium of architecture and design, on methods of historiography as well as on gender issues in media history and in postfeminist media culture. Concerns with critical theory, cultural studies, and feminism are central to her theoretical approach. Besides her scholarly work, she regularly writes as a literary and art critic for relevant magazines.

Ulrike received her Ph.D. in Art Theory and Cultural Studies from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 2019. Her dissertation on early professional women photographers in Vienna was awarded the Johanna Dohnal sponsorship prize 2021 As part of the German Thinking Photography award ceremony 2021 she obtained an honorable mention.

Prior to that she was a fellow at Photoinstitut Bonartes, Vienna (2015–17) and a research assistant in two research projects granted by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), at the Albertina Photo Collection (2009–12) and at the Art Collection and Archive of the University of Applied Arts Vienna (2005/06). For several years (2003–06) she taught courses on art and photography, gender studies, identity, body politics and artistic appropriation at Austrian universities (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, University of Art and Design, Linz).

Ulrike studied art history, German philology, and archeology at the Paris Lodron University Salzburg. Her Master’s thesis on body politics and fashion photography of the ’90s was awarded the Salzburg cultural funding prize in 2001. During her studies, she was employed as a curator and assistant manager at the Salzburger Kunstverein and was also a staff member of Fotohof, Salzburg.

ORCHID: 0009-0002-5089-1879