Katharina Ziemke

Katharina Ziemke is recognised internationally for her artistic exploration of our society’s interrelations with science and the environment. The painter and video artist presents a diversity of perspectives relative to our world, highlighting in particular the aspects that we take as given or that we think we know.

Conceived to act in concert with the architecture of the Lichthof Ost, the installation Unwetter, made of recycled stage walls, invites you to explore her latest body of work: the Storm series. Katharina Ziemke’s artistic universe is a combination of elements that oscillate between representation and abstraction, dream and reality. Unwetter shines a light on the many facets of storms, literally as phenomena of weather and as metaphor for the environmental challenges we face presently.

Roam intensively coloured landscapes, confront turbulent skies, and face the silent yet potent eye of the storm! Benefiting from the medium’s capacity to convey intense, emotive colour and texture, the artworks painted in oils or ink on rice paper capture the sublime beauty and destructive force of the tempest. Each canvas is a portrayal of a particular storm, a mirror to the tensions between the global North and South, focusing attention on the environmental crisis that has become intrinsic to our shared reality.

For her new video series Episode: Sturm Ziemke has gathered thoughts of representatives from different walks of society: scientists, a politician, a manager and several adolescents. This installation is a sobering reflection on our environmental responsibilities in face of climate change. By means of the juxtaposition of sound collages and images in the making, the artist creates singular video works that regard sustainability, helplessness, health policy, futuristic technologies, biodiversity, and adaptation.

Even though these subjective fragments inevitably give the work a melancholic tinge, Katharina Ziemke encourages us to shake off this mood. Unwetter underlines the need for art and science to come together to better understand the phenomena and emotions we experience. This exhibition is a poetical experiment wherein we are urged to consider the prevalent catastrophes from other points of view: The installation will serve as the site for events, debates, performances, tours and workshops. You are cordially invited to participate.