KATHARINA FRITSCH

Religious iconography, commercialism, and a distinctive vibrant aesthetic intertwine with local religious history as a major work by the world-renowned German artist Katharina Fritsch is exhibited for the first time in Norway, in Trondheim's public spaces.

Public exhibition at the Church of Our Lady, Trondheim.

June 2024 - August 2024

Marking the artist’s debut presentation in Norway, Madonnenfigur is exhibited in the centre of Trondheim’s shopping district between the Church of Our Lady and the main pedestrian street Nordre gate. At eye-level with the city's busy shoppers, the sculpture occupies a prominent place in the public space with its strong yellow colour and ambiguous religious symbolism. Madonnenfigur is based on a small souvenir statuette that Fritsch had purchased in a place of pilgrimage and later scaled to her own height. First presented in 1987 at the public art exhibition Skulptur Projekte Münster in Germany, the work was similarly installed in the main shopping street Salzstrasse.

The work examines the relationship between private religious rituals and public commercialism. For Fritsch, the mass-produced Christian souvenir statuettes reflect an interesting duality between "the church and the shop window". This duality is reflected in the installation of Madonnenfigur in Trondheim at the intersection of the city's commercial and religious history.

The Church of Our Lady was built at the end of the 12th century and was one of Trondheim's first parish churches from the Middle Ages. Today, the church is one of the most famous landmarks in the city. It is run by the Church City Mission as an “open church” on behalf of Nidaros Cathedral and Vår Frue parish council, offering a meeting place for diverse communities. The placement of Fritsch's Madonna sculpture at the Church of Our Lady extends the work's history from the original exhibition in Münster to a new local historical context, with reference to Trondheim as both a pilgrimage destination and an economic centre for central Norway. The public exhibition also refers to issues of care and health, and joins Trondheim's large collection of artworks in public spaces.

The public exhibiton and unveiling of Katharina Fritch’s Madonnenfigur (1987) has been made possible in collaboration with The Church City Mission, Kirkelig fellesråd in Trondheim, Nidaros domkirkes menighetsråd, the artist and Matthew Marks Gallery.

About Katharina Fritsch

In her distinctive sculptural works, Katharina Fritsch examines various archetypal motifs from both the mundane and mythological worlds. She molds these sculptures with her hands, taking inspiration from found objects and human models, which often change scale and are painted in her distinctive matte monochrome colours. Through simplified representations, Fritsch's sculptures often appear as two-dimensional images that give room for wonder, reflection and subtle humour.

Katharina Fritsch (b.1956, Germany) is one of the most prominent visual artists on the international art scene. Fritsch has exhibited at many of the most important museums and galleries in the world, and her work can be found in the collections of, among others, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2022, Fritsch was the recipient of the "Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement" at the 59th Venice Biennale. The public exhibition in Trondheim marks Fritsch’s first official presentation in Norway.