Asta Gröting

Asta Gröting (born 1961 in Herford, Germany) is a contemporary artist. She works in a variety of media like sculpture, performance, and video. In her work, Gröting “is conceptually and emotionally asking questions of the social body by taking something away from it and allowing this absence to do the talking.”

Biography

Asta Gröting studied sculpture at the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts, graduating in 1986. Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at KINDL - Centre for Contemporary Art Berlin, the Kunstraum Dornbirn, the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, the LENTOS Art Museum in Linz, and the Henry Moore Sculpture Institute, among others. She has also participated in international group exhibitions including the Maas Museum in Sydney, the 8th and the14th Biennale of Sydney, the 44th Venice Biennale, the Fundación Juan March, the Belvedere and the 22nd Bienal de São Paulo. She is currently a professor at the Braunschweig University of Art.

Gröting's earlier work focused on sculpture, before she also turned to video and performance, starting 1993. Gröting's works often present ordinary, familiar elements, where the viewer's attention is drawn towards their material transformation, caused by the exaggeration of the familiar. In Gröting's work there is a focus on what is not visible, like the inner voice, the space between lovers having sex, the digestive system, or the inside of holes made by bullets, and the ways in which the invisible can be brought to the surface. As such, she allows absence to do the talking. In these explorations a sense of realism is at work that pays attention to what is not considered to be beautiful, or to what is seen as damaged or even damaging. It develops works that convert psychological and emotional perspectives to the complex relationships of people into clear forms. Often they are presented in work groups or series.

Works (selection)

Since 1993 Gröting produced film and video works where she examines both the relationship between humans and animals and their nature. The film Wolf and Dog depicts the encounter between a dog and a wolf. The work shows first the approach followed by a dramatic scene between the two animals captured with an ultra-high-speed camera at 1,000 frames per second. In Primate and Human, for just a few moments, the close-ups of two orangutans are superimposed on the face of an infant. The works asks the question: What happens when primates and humans make eye contact, and what do we see in the primate’s eyes?[1]

»In this and all her works, Gröting draws us into her way of seeing. Her films and sculptures are interested in looking intently with a microscopic focus at surfaces, appearances and effects in order to ascertain what lies beneath them. Each piece seems to be seeded in the question, what is the nature of x? With a forensic attention to detail, she searches for aspects not visible to the naked eye, asking what can surfaces tell us that we don’t know that we know? How can we look again at what is right before us?«

Berlin Fassaden (2016–2018) consists of a series of negative imprints made out of silicone that are monumental in size. They track the traces of the bullet holes made during war in facades that have not yet been renovated. For Gröting the casts function as photographic long exposures that depict the story from the moment of the bullets’ impact to the present time, taking along dust, dirt, and even graffiti. “I want to look from inside these destroyed walls and facades into the world,” Gröting says, “as if I could see my own face staring back at me.”

Touch is an ongoing series, which the artist started in 2015. Gröting invited a number of friends to sit for a portrait. The portrait consists of the artist tracing the contours of their face with her hands. It recalls the gestures of sculpting, reading the face's expression. Although it's a touching of a surface, it's at the same time also a most intimate conversation.

In The Traveling Carriage of Goethe the Mercedes of Adenauer and My Smart (2011) Gröting made full-scale casts of the undersides of three vehicles from three different centuries. The rubber molds visualize a sculptural history of movement. Motion is also the topic of Gröting's video Parken, in which from a bird's eye view we see several cars competing for a parking space.

Space Between Lovers (2008–) is the materialization of a physical intimate moment. Two actors were covered in silicone while they were having sex. In this way, the in-between, the inner space was visualized sculpturally. Both intimacy and distance define also Space Between a Family (2010–2015), which consists of life-size casts of members of Gröting's family made over the course of several years. “It is not hard to imagine that these introspective figures possess internal organs,” the British author Deborah Levy writes, “but they are uncanny too, mournful grey ghosts of substance who seem to be emerging from both a war and a womb.”

From the early nineties onwards, Gröting took beside sculpture an interest in immaterial media like performance and video. For The Inner Voice (1993–2004) Gröting explored ventriloquism as a performative instrument to research the soul and its inner workings. A series of videos came about depicting conversations between a dummy created by the artist and ventriloquists from all over the world. In their own native language they performed dialogues written by Gröting, Deborah Levy, and Tim Etchells. On several occasions Gröting worked together with the Native American ventriloquist Buddy Big Mountain.

Solo exhibitions (selection)

• 2023 Fortune. Asta Gröting and Ming Wong, carlier | gebauer, Berlin, Germany
• 2023 n.b.k. Video-Forum | Fensterprojektionen, Goethe-Institut Montreal, Montreal, Canada
• 2023 Asta Gröting. Das Wesen von x – Gerhard-Altenbourg-Preis 2023, Lindenau-Museum Altenburg im Prinzenpalais des Residenzschlosses Altenburg, Altenburg, Germany
• 2017: Berlin Fassaden, Teil I, KINDL – Zentrum für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin, Germany
• 2017: (Im)mutable, Asta Gröting – Sean Snyder, HBK Galerie, Braunschweig, Germany
• 2017: Die Geschichte der Werkzeuge ist das aufgeschlagene Buch der menschlichen Psychologie, Kunstraum Dornbirn, Austria
• 2016: Touch, Galerie Carlier | Gebauer, Berlin, Germany
• 2015: Asta Gröting, Galerie Carlier | Gebauer, Berlin, Germany
• 2014: Asta Gröting, Arbeiten aus der Sammlung der Landesbank Baden-Württemberg und der Sammlung Grässlin, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany
• 2010: Parallel Performances, Asta Gröting, Maria Eichhorn, Arter, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2010: Asta Gröting, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Germany
• 2010: Asta Gröting, Lentos, Linz, Austria
• 2009: Asta Gröting Sculpture: 1987–2008 Henry Moore Sculpture Institute, Leeds, UK
• 2006: The Inner Voice, MARTa, Herford, UK

Group exhibitions (selection)

• 2024 Wild! Kinder – Träume – Tiere – Kunst, Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen, Germany
• 2024 of intimacy and quietude, sid motion gallery, London, United Kingdom

• 2023 Kill The Light, Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany
• 2023 (Wahl-)Familie. Die, die wir sind, Kunstmuseum Ravensburg, Ravensburg, Germany
• 2023 Der König ist tot, lang lebe die Königin, Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, Germany
• 2023 Scale: Sculpture (1945-2000), Fundación Juan March, Madrid, Spain
• 2023 [ɡəˈzɛlʃaft], Kestner Gesellschaft e.V., Hannover, Germany
• 2022 Grow – der Baum in der Kunst, Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
• 2022 Perspektiven einer Sammlung, Marta Herford, Herford, Germany
• 2022 that other world, the world of the teapot. tenderness, a model, Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover, Germany
• 2022 Alles aus Glas. Grenzbereiche des Skulpturalen, Kunstmuseum Ahlen, Ahlen, Germany
• 2022 City Limits, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
• 2022 Points of Resistance IV: Skills for Peace, Zionskirche, Berlin, Germany
• 2022 What Can Today’s Architecture Do for You?, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
• 2022 Das Gehirn, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany
• 2021 Fragile! Alles aus Glas, Kunsthalle Vogelmann, Heilbronn, Germany
• 2021 City Limits, Centre of Polish Sculpture, Orońsko, Poland
• 2021 Landliebe – Kunst und Landwirtschaft, Bündner Kunstmuseum, Chur, Switzerland
• 2021 How Long Is Now?, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
• 2021 Scratching The Surface, Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany
• 2021 Angespannte Zustände, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
• 2020 Infinite Sculpture. From the Antique Cast to the 3D Scan, Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2020 On Celestial Bodies, Arter, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2020 Abduction, BOA In Public Space Program (BOA IPSP), Oslo, Norway
• 2020 Zurück in die Gegenwart – neue Werke, neue Perspektiven – die Sammlung von 1945 bis heute (permanent exhibition), Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
• 2019 Sculptures infinies, Palais des Beaux Arts, Paris, France
• 2019 Where do you see yourself in 20 years, Kunsthaus Pasquart, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
• 2019 Nah am Leben, James-Simon-Galerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 2019 Kleinplastik Triennale, Fellbach, Germany

• 2017: This is a Voice, Maas Museum, Sydney, Australia
• 2017: Das Gesicht. Eine Spurensuche, Deutsches Hygiene Museum Dresden, Germany
• 2017: Das Auto in der Kunst seit 100 Jahren, Kunsthalle Emden, Germany

• 2016: Touring Exhibition: The Withdrawal of the Red Army, Northern Norway Art Museum, Tromsø, Norway 07.11.2015 – 24.01.2016
• 2016: This is a voice, Wellcome Collection, London, UK 14.04.–31.07.2016
• 2015: Blicke ! Körper ! Sensationen ! Das Dresdner Wachskabinett und die Kunst, Deutsches Hygiene Museum, Dresden, Germany
• 2015: All the World's a Stage, Works from the Goetz Collection, Fundación Banco Santander, Madrid, Spain
• 2015: Terrapolis, Whitechapel Gallery & NEON Foundation, École Français, Athens, Greece, curated by Iwona Blazwick
• 2015: His Master's Voice: Von Stimme und Sprache, La Panacée, Centre de Culture Contemporaine, Montpellier, France
• 2014: Reines Wasser, Lentos, Linz, Austria
• 2014: International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
• 2014: Liebe, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany
• 2013: Iskele 2. The Unanswered Question, Tanas, Berlin, Germany
• 2013: Bad Girls, FRAC Lorraine, Metz, France
• 2013: His Master's Voice, Hartware MedienKunstVerein – HMKV, Dortmund, Germany
• 2012: Atelier + Küche, Marta Herford, Germany
• 2011: Maria Eichhorn & Asta Gröting, Kunsthal 44 Møen, Askeby, Denmark
• 2011: The Inner Voice/ I AM BIG, Nomadic Nights, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France
• 2010: Starter, Arter, Vehbi Koç Foundation contemporary art collection, Istanbul, Turkey

Awards

• 2023 Gerhard-Altenbourg-Preis des Lindenau-Museums Altenburg

• 1996: Preis der Bayrischen Landesbank International S.A.
• 1994: Otto-Dix-Preis, Gera
• 1991: Förderpreis für Bildende Kunst des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
• 1990: A.&W. Grohmann Fellowship, Baden-Baden
• 1989: Schmidt-Rotluff-Fellowship
• 1988: Stiftung Kunstfonds

Public collections (selection)

Verein der Freunde der Nationalgalerie for the Collection Nationalgalerie Berlin, Berlin / Arnold Forde, Los Angeles, USACarol Schwartz, Denver, USA / Collection Helga de Alvear, Madrid, Spain / evn sammlung, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria / Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain (FRAC), Limoges, France / Fundació la Caixa, Barcelona, Spain / Hypo-Bank, Munich / Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa), Stuttgart / Jerome Stern, New York, USA / Koç Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey / Landesbank Baden- Württemberg, Stuttgart / MARTa Herford, Herford / Museum Ludwig, Cologne / Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, USA / Sammlung Block, Berlin / Sammlung Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt a.M. / Sammlung Goetz, Munich / Sammlung Grässlin, St. Georgen / Sammlung Schwenk, Haigerloch / Staatsgalerie Stuttgart / Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (SMAK), Gent, Belgium / Valdemar Gerdin, Stockholm, Sweden/ Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal

Bibliography

• Asta Gröting. Das Wesen von x. Video Works 1993-2023. Gerhard-Altenbourg-Preis 2023, Spector Books, Leipzig, 2023, ISBN 9783959057851
• Asta Gröting, Berlin Fassaden, ed. Andreas Fiedler, exhibition catalogue KINDL - Centre for Contemporary Art, Berlin, September 10 - December 3, 2017 ISBN 978-3-95679-356-1
• Asta Gröting, Die Geschichte der Werkzeuge ist das aufgeschlagene Buch der menschlichen Psychologie, exhibition catalogue Kunstraum Dornbirn, Austria, March 17 - May 14, 2017 ISBN 978-3-903153-88-2
• Asta Gröting, exhibition catalogue, eds. Marius Babias and Stella Rollig, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein - n.b.k. Berlin and Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Köln 2010 ISBN 978-3-86560-786-7
• Asta Gröting. Sculpture: 1987–2008, exhibition catalogue Henry Moore Sculpture Institute, 8 February - 26 April 2009, Leeds 2009
• Asta Gröting. The Inner Voice, eds. Jan Hoet and Christoph Keller, Revolver, Archiv für Aktuelle Kunst, Frankfurt am Main 2004 (English and German) ISBN 3-86588-003-7

External links

• Website of the artist
• Asta Gröting's profile at carlier | gebauer gallery
• "Abwesenheitsnotiz: Asta Gröting. Von Kołobrzeg nach Gdańsk", in Monopol, July 17, 2017
• Interview with Asta Gröting about her show at n.b.k. (Neuer Beriner Kunstverein) by art-in-tv, 2010
• ZKM Karslruhe Archived 2017-11-14 at the Wayback Machine about Asta Gröting