The State of a Woman is Tranquility

Inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s claim that “Der Stand des Weibes ist Ruhe” (“a woman’s state is stillness”), this project turns that notion on its head. Women, like hurricanes, are anything but still—they are forces of movement, intensity, and transformation.

Through photography, Viveka portrays female musicians in moments of performance. Blurred gestures reveal strength, fire, and sound embodied—transforming their presence into storms. To deepen the concept, the artist created monotypes using satellite images of hurricanes, matching each storm’s (female) name to the portrayed musician. This draws a sharp historical parallel: in the 18th century, hurricanes were exclusively named after women, reflecting a cultural pattern of projecting volatility onto the feminine. Hoffmann’s statement emerged in the same context, when gender norms strictly regulated artistic expression. Women were permitted to play only a limited number of instruments deemed “appropriate” for their gender—harpsichord, piano, or harp—excluding them from most orchestral and public performance spaces.

Supported by the Gender Institute Mozarteum, this project reclaims that narrative:

women are no longer background music—they are the storm.

The exhibition at Galerie Das Zimmer brought the project to life through a constellation of voices: photographs of six musicians and a circus performer, monotypes and hurricane research on damage and lasting for each musician were accompanied by a live concert in which the women themselves took the stage.

This fusion of image, sound, and performance created a multi-dimensional experience, allowing the audience to feel the force of their stories rather than merely observe them, transformed the exhibition into a celebration of women who have defied traditional gender roles, leaving behind traces of sound, energy, and resistance.