Hi, my name is Kati, I am a white middle aged, middle class woman. I am German and I live with my Norwegian husband and our two children in Stavanger, Norway. Before we moved here 4 years ago we lived in London and Shanghai. Stavanger is a great place to live as a family they say. I sometimes miss the international and inspiring big city life in London and the overwhelming experience Shanghai.

I still feel connected to my hometown Lörrach which is a small town in the south of Germany bordering Switzerland and France. I feel culturally very attached to that area I still call home. Having grown up in that beautiful part of the world I had the pleasure to be there when the Beyeler Foundation in Riehen, Basel opened as well as the Vitra architecture park. I still remember having skipped class when Christo and Jeanne-Claude opened their ‘Wrapped trees’ exhibition at the Beyeler Foundation in 1998 shortly after the foundation was opened to the public in the beautiful building by Renzo Piano the year before. Not to forget the annual highlight of the Art Basel, when the art vibes would tip over the Swiss border into my hometown and I would sometimes get hold of a ticket to the fair. In hindsight I also learned that the wonderful works by sculptor Jean Tinguely have influenced me before I even started to think about art, having played in his fountain at the theater square in Basel as a child. I have always had a great interest in conceptual art and the question ‘Ist das Kunst oder kann das weg?’ triggered by Joseph Beuys’ work is part of my daily life and shapes my practice.

After having finished school in Germany and a failed attempt to become an architect, I went to university to study business administration (Diplomkauffrau). I was drawn to the arts but felt I had to learn something ‘proper’ I could later on find a paid job with, which I did. However creating and viewing art has always been a big part of me and two years ago I was finally in a position in my life that allowed me to go for it. I joined a two year program at the local art school Kunstskolen i Stavanger. After graduating this summer I got myself a studio and am now working full time as a visual artist in Stavanger, Norway which is a great place to live as a family.