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.