designboom recently visited the
deichtorhallen hamburg to view german artist katharina fritsch's
first major solo exhibition in germany since her inaugural show of the K21 in düsseldorf, 2001.
recognized for her large scale plastic, sculptural work, the grandiose space of the deichtorhallen
hamburg set the perfect stage for fritsch's life-size representations of humans, animals
and symbolic objects.
katharina fritsch's work is marked by a sarcastic humor in which she examines the world of
everyday life, tourism and consumption. her sculptures are usually cast in plaster, aluminum
or polyester and are finely revised copies of reality, a dreamlike exercise of emotions.
approximately 15 large installations provide an overview of the artist's work from the last decade,
which have never been previously showcased in germany. during the last few years, in particular,
she has dealt with photography and its conversion into monumental pictures which stem from
personal childhood memories. these are represented through unusually large silkscreen print,
juxtaposed with her life-size figures, which deal with reality - projections and clichés of everyday life.
amongst these more recent works are fritsch's well-known pieces from the 1980s and 1990s such as
the green 'elephant' (1987) and 'dinner party' (1988). fritsch closely collaborated with the deichtorhallen
to create a special architectural design for the exhibition, a movie-like sequence of spaces.
the result is a show that is a feast for the eyes - the intense colors and magnificent proportions
of fritsch's work, engrossing the viewer into her world.
the show is in cooperation with the
kunsthaus zurich showcase and is a deichtorhallen exclusive.
