Katharina Forster (1979) is a fine artist based in Cape Town. Originally from Germany she moved to South Africa to start her formal artist career. She received her diploma in fine arts at Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town and now spends her days as a full time artist.
Katharina is an interdisciplinary artist who aims to convey, through the interpretation of life patterns and social understanding, the positive opportunities and possibilities for each individual, from all demographics, to be empowered. She combines mixed media and craft techniques and is also seen on the streets with pavement painting. In her art she conveys her understanding of life, its patterns and phases, and draws a lot of her knowledge from her previous experience as an occupational therapist.
Group Exhibitions:
September 2010: Overture, curated student exhibition, Ruth Prowse School of Art, Cape Town
June 2009: Exposure, curated student exhibition, Ruth Prowse School of Art, Cape Town
October 2008: Re-nude, Exposure Gallery Cape Town, Cape Town
June 2008: Re-Generation curated student exhibition, Ruth Prowse School of Art, Cape Town
Competitions/Festivals:
1996 Massay street painting festival, 2nd prize
1995 Geldern, street painting competition, public award
I am working towards an exhibition in Berlin in June 2011
Which living artists do you most admire and why? Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?
People who live life creatively, who do what they love and want to do, who don’t separate between life and work but love what they do for the good they are doing.
Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?
Istanbul biennial 2005 since I realized for the first time the vast impact fine art has upon life, culture, society, people, ...
What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it?
Is it art or can it go? …
What/ who inspired you to be an artist?
A cup of coffee, my lecturers at Ruth Prowse and my child.
Can you tell us about where you make your art and what if any, the significance of this location is:
The physical place only matters when I do street- or pavement painting, when I have the chance to interact and engage with passers by. Otherwise through the activity of my hands I find a joyful, resting, exciting place in my mind.
What do you like most about being an artist? Doing what I really love doing!
What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date? Being able to work.
What are your plans for the coming year?
Start a new body of work, which I have already thought about and be able to do all the small side projects I have had yet no chance to do.