International Artist Katharina Fritsch solos at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg

Written by Boris Kaplan Sunday, 09 May 2010 20:52

Hamburg, Germany - Since the artist’s inaugural exhibition of the K 21 in Düsseldorf in 2001, Deichtorhallen are the first to present a comprehensive solo exhibition of Katharina Fritsch (born in Essen, Germany in 1956). The work show, set up in cooperation with Kunsthaus Zürich, will be exclusively presented in Germany at Deichtorhallen Hamburg. As one of the leading female artists in Germany and on the international scene, Fritsch represented Germany at the Biennale in Venice in 1995 and exhibited at Tate Gallery in 2001. 

Around 15 mostly large-sized work groups – presented in Germany for the first time – will give an overview of the artist’s very recent production of the past decade. The exhibition will also review on Fritsch’s striking, partially well known works such as “Tischgesellschaft / company at the table” (see fig.; Museum Moderner Kunst Frankfurt am Main) and “Elefant / Elephant”.

By means of sarcastic humour, Fritsch examines the world of everyday life, tourism and consumption. Collective symbols and personal reminiscences, emerging in her pictures and large-sized object sculptures, may cause deep emotions in the observer. During the last few years, Katharina Fritsch has particularly dealt with photography and its conversion into monumental pictures as well as with personal memories from childhood.

The sculptures of Katharina Fritsch have a way of imprinting themselves on the mind. With their simple outlines and bold use of colour, they have the clarity of icons or pictographs. Her figures and objects are reminiscent of fairy tales, fables and myths.

The attention that Fritsch pays to the surfaces of the sculptures, and to their colour, scale, and the space in which they are presented creates a strange tension between the familiar and the uncanny. A life-size elephant is anatomically exact down to the last fold of skin, but painted an unearthly blue-green. A man, tucked up in bed, is confronted by a giant black mouse that squats on his chest. The effect of giving solid reality to the visionary and fantastic is unsettling. It is a relationship that Fritsch is keen to explore: 'I find the play between reality and apparition very interesting', she says, 'I think my work moves back and forth between these two poles.'

The Deichtorhallen is one of the best known exhibition galleries worldwide. The historical buildings are divided into an exhibition hall for contemporary art and the “House of Photography” – together the two buildings organize a highly diverse program of changing exhibitions.

What were once two market halls today provide some 6,000 sq. m. of exhibition area, forming one of Europe’s largest centers for art exhibitions.

Visit the Deichtorhallen Hamburg at ; www.deichtorhallen.de