WHAT? Katharina Grosse – I Set Out, I Walked Fast

WHERE? White Cube, Bermondsey, 144-152 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ

WHEN? Now until 31st May. Free to view.

WHY GO?
For art fizzing with vitality. Bursts of rainbow colour fill the stark white gallery, a testament to the dynamic creativity of German visual artist Grosse, in this, her first major UK exhibition.

Displaying three decades of work, it represents her ‘poly-perspective’ (her words) approach to art, which means she works across a variety of different disciplines and is handy with a spray gun of acrylic colour which she connects to the space she exhibits in.

Her splashy bold paintings progress from one idea to another and seemingly merge with the background to become one installation in situ.

Eschewing incomprehensible art-speak that certain curators seem to love, her work has been compared to graffiti, but Grosse emphatically dislikes being labelled.

She has exhibited site-specific artworks in all manner of municipal places including the German Parliament in Berlin in 2015 and the Messeplatz at Art Basel in 2025.

Grosse is a deep thinker, naming the exhibition after re-reading Brontë’s Jane Eyre in her off-the-grid remote New Zealand studio. Jane’s character, continually propelling herself forward at a time when women were seen but less frequently heard, inspired the obscure title.

Deep? Yes, but the results speak for themselves. This vibrant colour fest brightens up a dull day. Just don’t let the kids copy or get anywhere near a spray gun of paint, there could be messy consequences!

IN THE KNOW
Check out White Cube’s accompanying online exhibition video for a better understanding of Grosse as an artist and how she works through her creative process. She reveals her ‘instant urge to visualise something’ and how colour is her main source of energy. All thought-provoking stuff!