All I Ever Wanted - Katharina Arndt

soloshow @ Garden of the Zodiac gallery | Omaha NE

Opening: 06.02.25 | 6 pm

The Garden of the Zodiac Gallery is pleased to present All I Ever Wanted, an exhibition of recent work by Katharina Arndt. Her fast and colorful paintings both illuminate and ironize the contemporary mass consumerist aesthetic of a decadent, abundant society in picturing her everyday life in the digital age.

Arndt’s artistic gaze is drawn towards scenes of playful indulgence and ephemeral excess: a nude woman floating in a swimming pool, girlfriends lolling on the beach, a couple drinking in a café while distracting themselves with social media, fashionistas strolling in their puffer coats, and concert-goers punked out in style. Emphasizing bright color, exaggerated form and attention to details of clothes, accessories and poses, Arndt’s deliberately naïve style of painting highlight the things that characterize today’s most Instagramable moments.

Arndt is particularly inspired by the bustling street and beach lifestyles she experiences in her residences in Berlin and Barcelona. “I really enjoy profane culture,” confided the artist in a conversation about her practice. “I like how the techno girlies dress at the beach in Barcelona, wearing shitty tattoos and drinking cheap mojitos from plastic cups.” Despite Arndt’s emphasis on excess, nothing real is spared from her gaze—hairy legs, unshaven armpits and sunburnt skin counterbalance ideals of beauty. Ultimately, for Arndt, the public is the best show: “I really like to look and watch the people.”

Katharina Arndt (b.1981, Oschatz, Germany) is a painter from Germany who lives and works in Berlin and Barcelona. She studied Fine Arts at Braunschweig University of Art and later obtained her Master of Fine Arts from John Armleder, the distinguished Swiss Fluxus and performance artist. Arndt’s work has been in solo and group exhibitions across the globe. In recent years she has had solo shows in Barcelona, Beirut, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, New York City and Saigon; later this year, she will be the focus of a show in Shanghai. She was also a featured artist in the 2022 Garden of the Zodiac Gallery group show Animals, curated by Christian Rothmann.

Katharina Arndt: All I Ever Wanted opens with a reception on the evening of February 6, 2025, and runs through April 6 in the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery, 1042 Howard Street. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 8:00pm and on Sundays from noon to 6:00pm. For further information, please contact 402.341.1877, email gardenofthezodiac@gmail.com, or visit the Garden of the Zodiac page on Facebook or Instagram.