VIENNA.- Phileas—The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art presents the first monograph dedicated to artist Toni Schmale.

The First Monographs are a series of publications, with each edition providing the first comprehensive overview of the work of an Austrian or Austria-based artist. Their international distribution allows for the artists’ practices to reach new audiences around the world. This publication is the fourth in this series, following artists Sophie Thun (2022), Christian Kosmas Mayer (2023) and Birke Gorm (2024).

Schmale's First Monograph presents her sculptural and performative work from the past fifteen years, showing how her practice explores the connections between the body, materials and power structures. Using industrial techniques and materials, she examines how physical and non-physical environments interact, and challenges conventional perceptions of space, social power relations and gender identification.

By breaking down familiar forms and rebuilding them, Schmale situates her work within a feminist critique of gender binaries and heteronormativity. Her visual language serves to unburden the representation of marginalised bodies. Through her precise steel constructions, she challenges dominant power structures and invites viewers to reflect on the complex relationship between form and identity.

The scope of Schmale’s work is reflected in this volume through essays by curator Eduardo Andres Alfonso, based in New York; Sabeth Buchmann, Professor of Modern and Postmodern Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna; Lex Morgan Lancaster, scholar, curator, and professor at The Cooper Union, New York; and writer Kate Sutton, based in Zagreb. Each text offers a distinct lens on Schmale’s work and its broader cultural context.

Designed by Marie Artaker and published in collaboration with DISTANZ in English.

Phileas—The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art supports artists, curators, galleries, and institutions in Austria and works to strengthen their presence on the international landscape of contemporary art. Through long-term partnerships with museums, biennials, and art institutions around the world, we enable the production and exhibition of new artworks and their donation to public collections. In 2026, we will commission and organise the second Austrian Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry and continue our ongoing support of the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Phileas—The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art is funded by the contributions of its private members and the Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport. Additional support is provided by the City of Vienna.