Katharina Arndt

Lives and works in Berlin, Germany / Barcelona, Spain

Artist statement

Based between Berlin and Barcelona, Katharina Arndt (b.1981) creates artworks that aim to challenge the consumerist culture and provide an ironic commentary and a fresh perspective on the world that surrounds her. “The themes which I most commonly explore in my work pertain to the consumer society in the digital age, specifically the decadence and the superficiality. Through my work I aim to convey the superficiality of material things. Don’t get me wrong, I am not judging those as bad or good - I am as much a part of the world which I portray! But in my work I try to capture the thin line between focusing on the simple pleasures while still allowing room for self-reflection,” comments Katharina Arndt. She studied Fine Arts at Braunschweig school of art and later on obtained her Master of Fine Arts by John Armleder. Arndt transfers the artificially trivial directly into her painting. The shimmering surface of the varnish effectively visualises how easily we indulge our longings. Our life is trimmed to a shine: With hairless body parts we glide gently over the smartphone display, the sunglasses sparkle with the Campari glass, life is easy. But although the smooth serves as a wonderful metaphor for lightness, it often appears superficial and conformist at the same time. Katharina Arndt’s works reflect numerous levels of pop culture. With their slick aesthetic and immaculate surfaces, they symbolize not only a positivist consumer culture, but above all the psychological...

Artwork