Press Release

A painting by Katharina Grosse (*1961, lives in Berlin and New Zealand) can appear anywhere: in the crook of an arm, on an egg, on the crumpled folds of a cloth, along a railway line, on the beach, in snow, on a sculptural form, or across a street and on to the façde of a building. The notion that painting takes place not just within the limits of the canvas but can transcend all boundaries and permeate every facet of our surroundings is central to Grosse’s artistic practice. For the exhibition Katharina Grosse. It Wasn’t Us, the artist has transformed the Historic Hall of Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum fü Gegenwart – Berlin, as well as the outdoor space behind the building, into an expansive painting which radically destabilizes the existing order of the museum architecture.

 

 

International archives 1st half of 2020

Katharina Grosse, It Wasn’t Us

Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (Germany)

14.06.2020 - 10.01.2021

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Exhibition June 14, 2020 - January 10, 2021. Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 50/51 - 10557 Berlin (Germany). Hours: Tue - Sun 10:00 - 18:00, Thu 10:00 - 20:00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

© ArtCatalyse International / Marika Prévosto 2020. All Rights Reserved

Over the course of several weeks Grosse created a vast image that stretches across the central hall of the building, over a large sculptural ensemble and into public space, covering the extensive grounds behind the museum and finally landing on the façde of the so-called Rieckhallen, a repurposed former haulage warehouse which was inaugurated as a part of the museum complex in 2004. The vibrant tones of It Wasn’t Us unfold into a complex multi-dimensional environment in which colors and forms enter into an exchange with the natural surroundings and man-made settings as well as with the visitors and passers-by. As the boundaries between objects and constructed space, and between horizontal and vertical orientations begin to melt away in a dynamic and pulsating interaction of color, new imaginary spaces emerge that are both artificial and ripe with associations, yet at the same time completely real and wholly abstract.

An extensive 216-page catalogue published by Hatje Cantz Verlag in August 2020 documents the painting It Wasn’t Us from its conception and planning through to its installation and final exhibited form.

Curated by Udo Kittelmann and Gabriele Knapstein.