It's All Work. Women’s Paid and Unpaid Labour, Fotoarchiv Blaschka 1950-1966
January 29, 2026–January 10, 2027
Alma Rosé-Plateau
A job with a salary? Responsibilities at home? A to-do list of tasks?
There’s always something to be done. Some kinds of work come with recognition and a wage. Others just arise – unpaid, unseen and most often done by women. But, isn’t it all work? Care work is still regarded as a “female resource” on which our society relies as a matter of course. Today, terms such as care crisis, gender pay gap and part-time work trap describe an inequality in work and pay with deep historical roots.
These themes are explored by the exhibition It’s All Work. Women’s Paid and Unpaid Labour, Fotoarchiv Blaschka 1950–1966. Based on the archive of a press photo agency in Graz, the exhibition approaches the material through the lens of contemporary questions about work and gender.
At its core is the relationship between paid, unpaid and precarious work in the lives of women in post-war Styria. It asks which forms of work were visible in the media – and which remained hidden. It also invites reflection on concepts of work and gender relations. After all, ideas about gender shape social reality, and both can change.
It's All Work. Women between Paid Employment and Care Work, Fotoarchiv Blaschka 1950-1966 is an exhibition by the Museum of History, Graz (Universalmuseum Joanneum), presented in cooperation with the House of Austrian History.
The exhibition catalog is available at the hdgö cash desk — or order online now.
Cooperations as part of the exhibition
Until August 30, 2026, a combined ticket offered in connection with the exhibition“ It's All Work” also allows visitors to see the exhibition “Work in Progress” at the Dom Museum Vienna. Joint guided tours of both exhibitions will take place on 22 February, 16 April, and 14 June.
In addition, the Austrian Film Museum will be screening two exceptional films from the 1970s to accompany the exhibition at the hdgö: Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) will be shown on 20 May at 6:00 p.m., and The Sealed Soil (1977) on 27 May at 6:00 p.m.
Exhibition team
Founding Director hdgö: Monika Sommer
Curator: Eva Tropper
Curatorial Assistance: Astrid Aschacher
Research Assistance: Samuel Hofstadler
Exhibition Design: Robert Rüf, Contributors: Dóra Medveczky, Lino Gasparitsch
Exhibition Graphics: Larissa Cerny, Contributor: Martin Embacher
Interviews: Eva Tropper
Video Interview with Karin Schnizer-Blaschka: Eva Tropper, David Kranzelbinder, Clemens Mair, Georg Pachler, Michael Posch, David Tiefenthaler (subtitles)
Artistic intervention (Co-produced by the Museum of History Graz and Kunsthaus Graz): Lia Sudermann, Simon Nagy
Reproductions “Kleine Zeitung”: Styria Media Design GmbH & Co KG und Steiermärkische Landesbibliothek
Exhibition Management: Nora Pierer
Managment of Loan Agreements und Rights: Tanja Jenni
Conservation and Restoration: Linda Kral
Communication: Ildiko Füredi, Teresa Heidemann, Johanna Miller
Social Media : Louise Beckershaus, Katharina Kraus
Education: Louise Beckershaus, Isabella Burtscher, Markus Fösl, Flora Gürth, Katharina Kraus, Birgit Landman, Eva Meran, Antonia Plessing, Nicole Plessl
Other Contributors from the hdgö-Team: Anna Bausch, Stefan Benedik, Andreea Dosa, Karolin Galter, Teresa Heidemann, Lorenz Paulus, David Tiefenthaler
English Translation: Joanna White
Display Production and Installation: museum standards
Lighting Design: Helen Farnik
Graphics Productions: Singerprint
Media Productions: 7reasons
Picture Editing: Michael Posch, Ciara Mooney
Cleaning: Petra-Natalia Mancu
With special thanks to:
Gerda Aschacher, Robert Blaschka, Elias Dorner, Rosa Edlinger, Theresia Einfalt, Hermann Elsasser, Walter Feldbacher, Thomas Felfer, Maria Froihofer, Li Gerhalter, Martin Grabner, Anna Hausmaninger, Andreja Hribernik, Katia Huemer, Jutta Kammerer, Irina Karamarković, Heidelinde Kelz, Veronika Kremser, Regina Novak, Christine Mayrhuber, Mimi Nievoll, Robert Pichler, Hildegard Oprießnig, Michaela Raggam-Blesch, Marianne Raiger, Karin Schnizer-Blaschka, Daniel Sichart, Gabriele Straschil, Anna Tropper, Carla Tropper, Beatrix Vreča
We are grateful for the loans provided by: Karin Schnizer-Blaschka
We are grateful for valuable discussions and advice from:
Vida Bakondy
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien
Christine Braunersreuther
Museologin, Kuratorin und Autorin von „Hilfslinien“
Magdalena Joham-Gießauf
Oral-History-Archiv des Instituts für Wirtschafts-, Sozial- und Unternehmensgeschichte, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Marion Krammer
Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Universität Wien
David Kranzelbinder
Pavelhaus / Pavlova hiša, Laafeld
Ulla Kriebernegg, Anna-Christina Kainradl
Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Alterns- und Care-Forschung, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Verena Lorber
Franz und Franziska Jägerstätter Institut, Katholische Privatuniversität Linz
Hartwig Sauer
Kleine Zeitung/ Archiv
Peter Schellnegger
Steiermärkische Landesbibliothek
Karin M. Schmidlechner
Arbeitsbereich Kultur- und Geschlechtergeschichte, Institut für Geschichte, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Sandra Starke
Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung, Potsdam
Karin Hojak-Talaber
Kuratorin und Autorin von „Wir Klauberinnen“
Christian Taucher
Caritas der Diözese Graz-Seckau
Carlos Watzka
Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität Wien
Heidrun Zettelbauer
Arbeitsbereich Kultur- und Geschlechtergeschichte, Institut für Geschichte, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
The exhibition “It’s all Work” was on display in 2024 at the Museum of History, Graz (Universalmuseum Joanneum) and was adapted in collaboration with the House of Austrian History.
