Patrícia J. Reis

About

Patrícia J. Reis (b. 1981, Lisbon, Portugal) is a media artist and researcher based in Vienna, Austria, exploring human and more-than-human entanglements with technology through feminist hacking, sensory interaction, and embodied interfaces. Her work investigates touch, consent, and care via physical computing, open-source electronics, and haptic art.

In her complex installations, Reis appeals to the visitor’s sensoriality in an intimate, tactile way, encouraging audiences to become active participants. Seeking to subvert visuality as the primary mode of aesthetic experience, she uses technology as a medium to expand corporeal perception. Inspired by media theory and cybernetics, her practice combines diverse media—including sculpture, interactive systems, photography, video, and physical computing—with contrasting materials such as resin, wood, silicone, metal, and textiles.

Portrait of Patrícia J. Reis

Photo © Manfred Pichlbauer

Academic Background & Research

Reis studied Painting at ESAD (Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, 2004), Media Art at Lusófona University (Lisbon, 2011), and holds a Ph.D. in Art and Media Theory from the University of Évora (Portugal, 2016).

Between 2006 and 2012, she served as Assistant Professor in Photography, Video, and Digital Arts at the Polytechnic Institute of Beja, Portugal. She was a postdoctoral researcher at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna within the research project Feminist Hacking: Building Circuits as an Artistic Practice (2020–2023), a guest researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute at TU Berlin (2022), and a lecturer at the University of Art and Design Linz (2015–2023).

Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of the Elise Richter PEEK research project Hacking the Body as the Black Box at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (2023–2027) and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Digital Arts (die Angewandte).

Collective Practice & Recognition

From 2012 to 2026, Reis was a board member and co-curator at Mz* Baltazar’s Laboratory , a feminist hackerspace and exhibition space in Vienna dedicated to generating intersections between art, gender, and open-source technology.

In 2021, she was awarded the Outstanding Artist Award for Media Art by the Austrian Federal Ministry (BMKÖS) and was selected for the IMPACT ART international exchange program between Austria and the San Francisco Bay Area (Ars Electronica, BMKÖS, ZERO1). In 2024, she was nominated for the European Commission’s S+T+ARTS Prize at Ars Electronica Linz.

Honors, Prizes & Artist Residencies

  • Nomination for the S+T+ARTS Prize, Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria (2024).
  • Postdoctoral fellowship, Elise Richter Programme for Arts-based Research (PEEK), awarded by the FWF Austrian Science Fund (2023–2027).
  • IMPACT ART, an international exchange programme with the artist community of the San Francisco Bay Area, sponsored by BKMÖES, Ars Electronica Linz, and ZERO1.org (2021).
  • Outstanding Artist Award for Media Art, BKMÖES — Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport, Austria (2021).
  • State Scholarship for Media Art, awarded by the BKA — Federal Chancellery for Arts and Culture, Austria (2020).
  • Postdoctoral fellowship, Programme for Arts-based Research (PEEK), awarded by the FWF Austrian Science Fund (2020–2023).
  • Artist-in-residence grant, Mexico City, awarded by the BKA — Federal Chancellery for Arts and Culture, Austria (2020).
  • Artist-in-residence grant, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada, awarded by the Video and Media Art Department, BKA — Federal Chancellery for Arts and Culture, Austria (2018).
  • Arbeitsstipendium für Video und Medienkunst, awarded by the BKA — Federal Chancellery for Arts and Culture, Austria, for an author’s book publication (2017).
  • Artist-in-residence grant, ResidenceSEA — Sensing Your Environment Through Art, Heraklion, Greece, awarded by the BKA — Federal Chancellery for Arts and Culture, Austria, Part II (2017).
More honors, prizes & artist residencies
  • Artist-in-residence, ResidenceSEA — Sensing Your Environment Through Art, Heraklion, Greece, Part I (2016); and artist-in-residence with Carla Cabanas at Mz* Baltazar’s Lab, Vienna, Austria (2016).
  • Arbeitsstipendium für Video und Medienkunst, awarded by the BKA — Federal Chancellery for Arts and Culture, Austria.
  • ÖH-Uni-Wien funding for feminist/queer research, ÖH University of Vienna, Austria (2015).
  • Fördertopf für feministische/queere Forschung, ÖH.ac, Austria (2015).
  • International exhibition grant, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria (2015).
  • Artist-in-residence, Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) Institute for Advanced Study, Delmenhorst, Germany (February–June 2014).
  • Neue Medien funding grant, MA7 — Cultural Department of the City of Vienna, Austria (2013).
  • International exhibition grant, Instituto Camões, Portugal (2013).
  • International Visual Arts grant, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Portugal (2013).
  • Prize for Media Art Project, Stipendien der Stiftung Niedersachsen für Medienkunst, Edith-Russ-Haus für Medienkunst, Oldenburg, Germany (June–December 2013).
  • Artist-in-residence, CRIR — Christiania Researcher in Residence, Copenhagen, Denmark (April 2013).
  • Artist-in-residence, Interchange Programme Lisbon/Budapest, Lisbon City Hall, Lisbon, Portugal (2007).
  • Selected artist, Rothschild 3rd Art Prize, Lisbon, Portugal (2007).

Exhibitions

  • Solo exhibition, Massage Chair, Vienna Secession Tuesdays, Vienna, Austria (July 2026).
  • Group exhibition, Are You Human?, Khoj Studios, New Delhi, India (January–February 2026).
  • Group exhibition, whatamess, Galerie Lisi Hämmerle, Bregenz, Austria (December 2025–January 2026).
  • Duo exhibition, Sensorial Mechanisms, Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdańsk, Poland (November 2025–February 2026).
  • Group exhibition, Suck my Code, Exhibit Galerie, Vienna, Austria (October 2025–February 2026).
  • Group exhibition, Machinic Metabolism, Lothringer 13 Halle, Munich, Germany (September–December 2025).
  • Solo exhibition, Traces of Control (with Ruth Schnell), Galerie Lisi Hämmerle, Bregenz, Austria (July–August 2025).
  • Group exhibition, Anti/Medea: Phantasms, Love, Deceptions (Back to Athens Festival), Isaia Mantion, Athens, Greece (June 2025).
  • Group exhibition, The Unexpected: Enquiries on Human-AI Interaction, AIL — Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab, Vienna, Austria (May–June 2025).
  • Group exhibition, Deep Skin, NODE Media Lab, ORF Funkhaus, Studio A220, Vienna, Austria (June 2025).
More exhibitions
  • Group exhibition, Tombola VII, ES49, Vienna, Austria (October 2024).
  • Group exhibition, Noise Festival with Fotogalerie, Palais Festetics, Vienna, Austria (September 2024).
  • Group exhibition, S+T+ARTS Prize by Ars Electronica, Post City, Linz, Austria (September 2024).
  • Group exhibition, PIRATE CULTURES: Unter dem Asphalt der Strand, Semmelweisklinik, Vienna, Austria (May 2024).
  • Group exhibition, AMRO24, afo — architekturforum oberösterreich, Linz, Austria (May 2024).
  • Performance and sound installation, About Clouds and Clocks, Neu Galerie Graz, Graz, Austria (May 2024).
  • Group exhibition, Pirate Cultures & Plunder Sonics: MAYDAY!, In der Kubatur des Kabinetts #3: Der Kunstsalon im FLUCC, Vienna, Austria (May 2024).
  • Group exhibition, Unabridged, Künstlerhaus Factory, Vienna, Austria (February 2024).
  • Solo exhibition, Digital Skin, StudioOne, Valparaíso, Chile (January–February 2024).
  • Duo exhibition, Love’s Modern Nature, Austrian Cultural Forum, Warsaw, Poland (January–February 2024).
  • Group exhibition, SOS 2.0 — Fürsorge ist die Schwester der Autonomie, Medienwerkstatt, Vienna, Austria (December 2023–January 2024).
  • Group exhibition, The Coffee Table, XVI International Ceramics Biennale, Aveiro, Portugal (October 2023–January 2024).
  • Group exhibition, What’s Love Got to Do with It? (with Steffi Alte and Saskia Te Nicklin), Mz* Baltazar’s Lab, Vienna, Austria (September–November 2023).
  • Group exhibition, Mud-Group#3: Who Has Land to Make a Fire (with Céline Struger and Kristin Weissenberger), Galerie3, Klagenfurt, Austria (September–October 2023).
  • Group exhibition, Digital II Sensor, Fotogalerie Wien on Tour, Medienwerkstatt, Vienna, Austria (April–May 2023).
  • Group exhibition, Mud-Group#3: Who Has Land to Make a Fire (with Céline Struger and Kristin Weissenberger), Mz* Baltazar’s Lab, Vienna, Austria (March–April 2023).
  • Group exhibition, Salon of Open Secrets, Kunstraum pro art, Hallein, Austria (September–October 2022).
  • Group exhibition, RGB EXPIRA: 2022, Castelo e Paço dos Condes, Ourém, Portugal (July–August 2022).
  • Group exhibition, Regresso al Por Venir — 14 Bienal de La Habana, Estación Cultural Línea y 18, Havana, Cuba (March–April 2022).
  • Group exhibition, 1M Sotto La Metro, Rome, Italy (December 2021).
  • Group exhibition, KAIROS: Recall of Earth, AIL, Vienna, Austria (November 2021–January 2022).
  • Group exhibition, The Kitchen, Medienwerkstatt during Vienna Art Week, Vienna, Austria (November 2021).
  • Solo exhibition with Carla Cabanas, From Object to Affect: Proposals for Future Archives After the Media, Criatech, Aveiro, Portugal (October 2021).
  • Solo exhibition with Dorota Walentynowicz, The Medusa v. The Odalisque , Mz* Baltazar’s Lab, Vienna, Austria (July–August 2021).
  • Group exhibition, Adventkalender 2020 , esc medien kunst labor , Graz, Austria, online (December 2020).
  • Group exhibition, Tale of Delusion, VBKÖ , Vienna, Austria (August–September 2020).
  • Group exhibition, CYBORG SUBJECTS, esc medien kunst labor , Graz, Austria (May–July 2020).
  • Group exhibition, Kairos: Recall of Earth, MIET — Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece, Thessaloniki , Greece (November 2019–January 2020).
  • Solo exhibition, Underneath the Skin Another Skin, Criatech , Aveiro, Portugal (October 2019).
  • Solo exhibition and artist statement, Blow!, Parallel Vienna , Austria (September 2019).
  • Solo exhibition, TALE OF DELUSION, Mz* Baltazar’s Laboratory (with Lale Rodgarkia-Dara, Ana Loureiro, and Taga Torosyan), Georg Kargl Permanent , Vienna, Austria (September–October 2019).
  • Group exhibition, flora pondtemporary , special project at flora pondtemporary, St. Florian, Linz, Austria (July–September 2019).
  • Group exhibition, #FUCK REALITY, Gallery Šira , Zagreb, Croatia (June 2019).
  • Solo exhibition, Through The Hole Is the Way-Out-of-This-World, Kulturdrogerie , Vienna, Austria (May–June 2019).
  • Group exhibition, #FUCK REALITY, Fundación Ludwig , Havana Biennale, Cuba (April 2019).
  • Group exhibition, ROBOT LOVE , Evoluon, Campina, Van Abbemuseum, Park Theatre Eindhoven, Netherlands (September–December 2018).
  • Group exhibition, #FUCK REALITY, Kunstraum Niederösterreich , Vienna, Austria (October–November 2018).
  • Solo exhibition, Intimate Screen, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, Canada (September 2018).
  • Group exhibition, Ubiquitous Futures, Click Festival — Contemporary Art, Science and Technology, CATCH, Helsingør, Denmark (May 2018).
  • Group exhibition, Maschinenraum, Klangmanifest Festival, Vienna, Austria (17 January–10 February 2018).
  • Solo exhibition, [B.M.I.] BELIEVER. MACHINE. INTERFACE., Schauraum, quartier 21 Electric Avenue, Vienna, Austria (24 March–19 May 2017).
  • Solo exhibition with Carla Cabanas, Intimate Archives After Media, Schneiderei Home.Studio.Gallery, Vienna, Austria (9 February–2 March 2017).
  • Group exhibition, ZERSTÖREN, esc medien kunst labor, Graz, Austria (24 September–18 November 2016).
  • Solo exhibition, Penetrating the Black Box, MuseumsQuartier — Electric Avenue, Vienna, Austria (25 May–17 June 2016).
  • Solo exhibition, Underneath the Skin Another Skin, Fórum Eugénio de Almeida, Évora, Portugal (15–27 April 2016).
  • Group exhibition, Artificial Cinema, Tranzitdisplay, Prague, Czech Republic (19 April–29 June 2016).
  • Group exhibition, Flash Back, CAPC — Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra, Torres Vedras, Portugal (9–31 January 2016).
  • Group exhibition, WhatsAPPROPRIATION: A Arte de Revisitar a Arte, Fundição Progresso, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (9–25 October 2015).
  • Group exhibition, Baba Vasa’s Cellar, organised by Dienstag Abend, Shabla, Bulgaria (8–22 August 2015).
  • Group exhibition, Flash Back, Museu José Malhoa, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal (14 May–14 June 2015).
  • Group exhibition, Can’t Connect at All, Friday Exit, Vienna, Austria (7–21 March 2015).
  • Group exhibition, Who Makes Europe, Gdańska Galeria Miejska, Gdańsk, Poland (16 January–3 March 2015).
  • Group exhibition, The Essence, Künstlerhaus Wien, Vienna, Austria (25 June–13 July 2014).
  • Group exhibition, Quién Hace Europa, Matadero, Madrid, Spain (7 June–14 July 2013).
  • Group exhibition, Something Other Than Photography: Photo & Media, Edith-Russ-Haus für Medienkunst, Oldenburg, Germany (26 June–15 September 2013).
  • Group exhibition, Digital Frictions, Weissen Haus, Vienna, Austria (2013).
  • Group exhibition, Post Screen Festival, University of Fine Arts, Lisbon, Portugal (2013).
  • Solo exhibition, Penetrating the Black Box, Gallery Luftsteuer Show Window Project, Vienna, Austria (24 March–7 April 2013).
  • Group exhibition, 20 Years of Visual Arts ESAD.CR, Edifício XXI — SOMAFRE, Pólo Tecnológico, Lisbon, Portugal (2011).
  • Solo exhibition, In the Studio, Valise Studio, Lisbon, Portugal (2010).
  • Group exhibition, Festival Internacional de Arte Contemporânea, CCCB — Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (2009).
  • Group exhibition curated by Claudia Giannetti, featuring Patrícia Reis, Vasco Bila, Zbigniew Rybczynski, Cao Guimarães, and David Trujillo, Canariasmediafest, Gran Canaria Espacio Digital, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain (29 October–7 November 2008).
  • Group exhibition, 3rd Prize Ariane de Rothschild, Lx Factory, Lisbon, Portugal (2007).
  • Group exhibition, MEGHívÓ, Budapest Galeria, Budapest, Hungary (2006).
  • Group exhibition, Passo Próximo (Close Step), Cubic Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal (2005).
  • Group exhibition, invited artists, Cerveira Biennale, Centro Cultural de Paredes de Coura, Portugal (2005).
  • Group exhibition, invited artists, Centro Cultural Emmerico Nunes, Sines, Portugal (2005).
  • Group exhibition, Passo Próximo, Cubic Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal (2004).
  • Group exhibition, ESAD04, former CERES factory, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal (2004).
  • Group exhibition, Casa 31, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal (2003).
  • Group exhibition, + Olhares: Filmes à Hora Certa, video screening at Chapitô, Lisbon, Portugal (2003).
  • Group exhibition, + Olhares: Filmes à Hora Certa, video screening in Fundão, Portugal (2003).
  • Group exhibition, Video Art, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University, New York, USA (2003).

For a full list of texts and publications, refer to Texts .