Katharina Arndt
Katharina Arndt is a contemporary German artist, living and working between Berlin and Barcelona. She studied Fine Arts at the Braunschweig School of Art and earned her Master of Fine Arts under the mentorship of renowned Swiss artist John Armleder.
Arndt's work reflects the intersection of the digital age and mass consumerism, exploring how modern society expresses itself through materialism and artificiality. She utilizes synthetic mediums like PVC film, lacquer paper, and Plexiglas, alongside glossy acrylic paint and lacquer markers, to mimic the sheen of our plastic, consumer-driven world. Her distinctive glossy surfaces evoke the artificial texture of contemporary life, embodying the excessive, often superficial nature of mass culture.
The core of her practice lies in observing the impact of digital communication, with her cartoonish figures serving as a playful yet critical commentary on how we present ourselves online. These figures highlight the tension between digital obsession and the fading connection to the physical world. Through fast, minimalist, and almost childlike motifs, Arndt ironizes the aesthetics of a consumerist society, simultaneously capturing and critiquing its decadence and abundance.
Her time in Barcelona strongly influences her work, with vibrant references to beach life, sunburns, and familiar Spanish brands like beer and juice cans woven into her compositions. Arndt also sees clothing and accessories as perfect symbols of the zeitgeist, representing the spirit of the age we inhabit. The contrast between the fantastical and the real in her work reflects her upbringing in East Germany, where scarcity shaped her worldview. This experience fuels her fascination with the absurdity of modern life, leading her to adopt a seemingly naive, playful painting style that encourages viewers to step back and reconsider the world with fresh eyes.
EDUCATION
2005 Fine Arts at HBK Braunschweig
2006 Master of Fine Arts by John Armleder
EXHIBITIONS (selection)
Solo
2021
“forever YOUNG” Uxval Gochez Gallery, Barcelona
“private BEACH” SommerFrischeKunst, Bad Gastein
“EASY EASY” Framed, Berlin
“never not pretending” FANG Studio, Leipzig
2020
“Faye Dunaway on Mondays” Strayfield Gallery, Kopenhagen
2016
“VIRTUAL REALITY” ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin
“FINAL GIRL” FB69 – Galerie Kolja Steinrötter, Münster
“E V E + A D A M” FB69 – Galerie Köln
“NOT CRY IN PUBLIC” Larry, Berlin
2014
“BORED TO DEATH IN PRARDISE” Gallery Majke Hüsstege, Hertogenbosch/NL
“NO HELL – NO HEAVEN” Hornsleth&Friends Gallery, Kopenhagen/DK
2013
“LOSING CONTROL” FB69, Münster
2011
“MY THERAPIST SAID …“ FB69 Cologne, Köln
“BEAUTY IS THE HARDEST DRUG” Two Window Project, Berlin
2010
“ONCE UPON A TIME” bar babette, Berlin
“EVERYTHING LOOKS SMALLER FROM ABOVE” projekthaus, Hamburg
Group
2021
“Art Auction” Weserhalle, Berlin
„29 at Reinbeckhallen“ BODE Projects, Berlin
„Höhenrausch #2“ Collectors Room, Hamburg
„3 Wünsche frei 2.0“ Kulturquartier, Erfurt
„Hallen #2“ Räume XS meets Wilhelmhallen, Berlin
„RUW“ Galerie Schmalfuss, Berlin
„Recognizing the Unseen“ The Garage, Berlin
„Bridge for Art“ Art Garage, Barcelona
„needful things“ Uxval Gochez Galerie, Barcelona
„Spring Art Auction“ Weserhalle, Berlin
„Luxus Naturae“ BcmA, Berlin
2020
„art still flourishes“ Visual Space, London
„Paganismus“ Neues Kunsthaus, Ahrenshoop
„Paradox Paradise“ Bunch Of Kunst in Quarantine, VR-room
2019
„Dark and Stormy“ Espronceda Center&Culture, Barcelona
„FUTURA“ Arte Aurora Galeria, Barcelona
„I like it real.“ Schau Fenster, Berlin
„bildSCHÖN“ Galerie 21.06, Ravensburg
2018
„Paranoia“ Edmond Gallery, Berlin
„8 Frauen“ Galerie 21.06, Ravensburg
„Jealous needs you“ Saatchi Gallery, London
„KUNSTgenuss GENUSSkunst“ Galerie 21.06, Ravensburg
„Not in the mood to save the world“ CODEX, Berlin
„sneaky paradise“ Lachenmann Art, Konstanz
„Schwarzer Flamingo“ Galerie Hartwich, Rügen
2017
„La Table Ronde“ DISKURS Berlin
„Let’s buy it! – Kunst und Einkauf“ LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen
„Ladies Night“ Feinkunst Krüger, Hamburg
2015
„FLEISCHESLUST“ Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden
„FLESH & BLOOD“ galerie t, Düsseldorf
„VON OBEN SIEHT ALLES KLEINER AUS“ Kunsthaus Dahlem, Berlin
„DEATH & SEXUALITY II“ Schaufenster, Berlin
„SALOON“ Sexauer Galerie, Berlin
„DEATH & SEXUALITY“ FB69, Münster
2014
„MONEY WORKS PART 2“ Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin
„LA COLECTIVA“ galerie t, Düsseldorf
„CROWS“ FB69, Münster
2013
„PAN AMSTERDAM“ artfair, Gallery Majke Hüsstege, Amsterdam/NL
„YOU SHOULD BE …“ Petra Rietz Galerie, Berlin
2012
„THE END OF THE WORLD“ FB69, Münster
„LAST ORDERS“ dorisberlin, Berlin
2011
„ZEITENWENDE“ ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin
„THE DEAD GIRLS LITANY“ FB69, Münster
„… SO EIN VERSCHWENDERISCHES GEFÜHL“ dorisberlin, Berlin
2010
„KEEP THE ILLUSION ALIVE“ Videoholica, Varna/BG
„.MOV“ plusnull, Leipzig
„NADELARBEIT“ Vertretung des Landes Niedersachsen, Berlin
COLLECTION
2018
Saatchi Collection, London | Print „Faye Dunaway on Mondays“
aeroplastic, Brüssel | Leuchtschrift „Wanna look good naked“
2016
Sammlung Haupt, Berlin | Zeichnung „Tyler“
PRESS
2021
La Vangardia | „POSTALES NEGRAS DE SOL Y PLAYA“
LES NOUVEAUX RICHES | „INTERVIEW MIT KATHARINA ARNDT“
METAL Magazine | „UTOPIC FANTASIES OF ETERNITY“
GALLERYTALK.net | „SOLID GOLD #11“