With more than three highly successful decades in the international art scene and counting, the vibrant works of the Berlin-based artist Katharina Grosse remain at the contemporary art world's center of attention. Most of her works are expansive and spatial; they explore new ways of creation and provide a stage for an abundance of options. Through her innovative use of color, in particular her use of the spray gun, Grosse has constantly pushed the boundaries of painting and redefined the limits of this traditional medium. Particularly with her many major international projects, she impressively demonstrates that the most diverse objects and structures can serve as substrates, including giant rolls of fabric, three-dimensional polystyrene structures, trees, houses, or multi-ton metal sculptures. Art Basel, probably the most important international contemporary art fair, recently commissioned her to stage the “Messeplatz Project” in 2025. The plan is to create a large-scale installation on the forecourt of the exhibition halls.

Alongside these major projects that enjoyed enormous media coverage, she has also made a series of large-format paintings in her studios in Berlin and New Zealand since the late 1980s. In these works, the artist explores a wide range of techniques and materials, employs stencils, and attaches branches and strings to the canvases in order to achieve ever new and unique effects. In the present work from 2011, she subtly incorporates the immaterial factor of light, which has long influenced generations of artists. Depending on the incidence of light on the iridescent color pigments of the glossy surface, it is reflected in hues ranging from silver to pink, beguiling the senses with a dazzling play of colors. The prime characteristic of her creation is arguably the materials and their respective effect. The stunning presence of her art is always guaranteed to evoke an immediate emotional reaction. Perhaps this is one of the secrets behind Grosse's success. Although she enjoys international fame, it is above all her art that leaves a lasting and powerful impression. [AR]