About Kaethe Wenzel

Portrait of Kaethe WenzelProf. Dr. Kaethe Wenzel (*1972 Aachen/GER) works about Utopian ideas, urban systems, and alternative concepts for society.

She systematically co-opts techniques from survey to speculative fiction. Her projects function as dystopian/utopian footnotes to global history. They aim at participation, the destruction of hegemonial clichés and furthering communication – from the streets into the internet and back.

Her main instruments are interview-based drawings, internet, mechanics/electronics, and street art. She often makes use of urban systems such as signage, advertising spaces, public screens. A central strategy is talking to citizens as “local specialists” and the “gradual fabrication” of visions and ideas “while speaking/drawing”.

Kaethe Wenzel studied art and art history at the Philipps Universität Marburg/GER, Ateneo di Firenze/IT, Humboldt-University Berlin/GER, where she received her PhD in art history in 2003. She was awarded with grants e.g. with the Fulbright Exchange Scholarship, the stipend of Böll-Foundation, NRW stipend of Kunst-Wissenschaft-Wirtschaft KWW, Karin Abt-Straubinger-Foundation, Künstlerdorf Schöppingen Foundation, DA Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst.

Among others her works are part of public collections such as German Museum of Technology Berlin/GER, Investitions- und Strukturbank des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz/GER, Stadtmuseum Oldenburg/GER, Römer-Pelizäus-Museum Hildesheim/GER, Graphics collection of the city of Viersen/GER, Middle Rhine Museum Koblenz/GER, Szént István Kerály Muzeum, Székesfehérvár/HU.

Kaethe Wenzel was invited to numerous exhibitions e.g. Alma on Dobbin Foundation New York/USA, LENTOS Art Museum Linz/AT, Abrazo Interno Gallery New York/USA, Franje Festival, Amersfort/NLStadtmuseum Oldenburg/GER, German Museum of Technology Berlin/GER, Jenkins Johnson Gallery San Francisco/USA, Fluxfactory, New York/USA, Gallery F. Nashville/USA, 2B Galeria Budapest/HU, Goethe Institute Budapest/HU, Jewish Museum New York/USA, Art Center Kulanshi Astana/KZ, New Chambers in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam/GER.

www.kaethewenzel.de