Katharina Grosse: painting that invades space at White Cube
German artist Katharina Grosse returns to London with one of the most ambitious proposals of her career: “I Set Out, I Walked Fast”, an exhibition on view at White Cube Bermondsey from 22 April to 31 May 2026. Far from being a simple pictorial display, this project presents itself as an immersive experience that questions traditional notions of the canvas, space and perception.
With a practice that has revolutionised the language of contemporary painting, Grosse unfolds here a body of work ranging from recent pieces to previously unseen canvases from her personal archive, alongside a site-specific installation that completely transforms the gallery’s architecture.
The impulse to move forward: the meaning behind the title
The title of the exhibition, “I Set Out, I Walked Fast”, comes from the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, a literary reference that is far from accidental. Within the context of Grosse’s work, this phrase encapsulates a sense of urgency, constant movement and rejection of established structures.
“The title of the exhibition comes from the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, a literary reference that is far from accidental.”
The artist has noted that this concept emerged from her reading during a recent stay in New Zealand, and reflects her desire to move forward without restrictions, embracing uncertainty and accident as essential parts of the creative process.
This approach translates into a form of painting that does not seek to represent, but to happen. For Grosse, painting is a physical act, almost performative, where gesture and speed are as important as the final result.
Painting without limits: when space becomes canvas
One of the most fascinating aspects of this exhibition is the way Grosse challenges the traditional idea of painting. For her, the entire world is a potential surface: walls, floors, architectural structures and even natural landscapes.
Her main tool, an industrial spray gun, acts as a conceptual extension of the brush, allowing her to cover large surfaces with speed and precision. This method generates vibrant, energetic surfaces where colour expands freely, unconstrained by the limits of the frame.
Painting moves from the visual plane into the realm of experience, and the viewer ceases to be a passive observer to become an active part of the work.
Between chaos and intention: the aesthetics of the accidental
In “I Set Out, I Walked Fast”, Grosse moves away from the seriality that characterised some of her earlier works. Instead of repeating and refining ideas, she embraces a more direct, raw and spontaneous approach.
According to the artist herself, “there is no longer a pictorial space in terms of depth or distance; the canvas has become a place where accidental and interdependent acts manifest”.
This statement perfectly summarises the conceptual core of the exhibition: a constant tension between control and unpredictability. The layers of colour do not seek classical harmony, but rather a dynamic coexistence where what appears chaotic reveals a deeply contemporary internal logic.
Works in dialogue: from archive to present
The exhibition brings together pieces spanning two decades of production, including works from 2005, 2016 and a recent series from 2024, 2025 and 2026, as seen in the visual materials of the dossier (pages 1 to 6 of the document).
This journey allows us to appreciate the evolution of her visual language:
– In the earlier works, an expansive gesturality can be perceived, still linked to the traditional canvas format.
– The intermediate pieces intensify the use of colour as a structural element.
– The most recent works reveal a radical refinement, where gesture becomes more essential and pictorial space more open.
What is interesting is that these works are not presented hierarchically. Grosse conceives the exhibition as a network — a “web”, in her own words — where each piece generates unexpected connections with the others.
Painting as an immersive experience
One of the central axes of the exhibition is the site-specific work, which transforms the space of White Cube Bermondsey into an enveloping environment.
Here, painting ceases to be an object and becomes atmosphere. The visitor moves within a chromatic field that alters their perception of space, blurring the boundaries between artwork, architecture and body.
Grosse compares this experience to the difference between swimming in a pool and swimming in the sea: while the traditional canvas offers defined limits, her installations invite total immersion, where the environment is changing and unpredictable.
Katharina Grosse in the context of contemporary art
Born in 1961 in Freiburg, Katharina Grosse is one of the most influential figures in international contemporary painting.
Her work has been exhibited in leading institutions such as Centre Pompidou-Metz, Hamburger Bahnhof and MoMA PS1.
Throughout her career, she has developed a unique language that challenges traditional categories of art. Her work exists at the intersection of painting, installation and architecture, constantly questioning the limits of each discipline.
Moreover, her interventions in public spaces — such as projects at Art Basel or the Fondation Louis Vuitton — have expanded the scope of her practice, taking it beyond the conventional exhibition circuit.
A key exhibition in her recent career
The exhibition at White Cube not only marks her return to London after almost a decade — since her celebrated show at South London Gallery in 2017 — but also a new chapter in her relationship with the gallery, with which she first collaborated in 2002.
This context makes “I Set Out, I Walked Fast” a particularly significant exhibition, both institutionally and artistically.
It also acts as a prelude to her upcoming project at the MUNCH Museum, where she will present an installation that dialogues with the work of Edvard Munch, reaffirming her ability to reinterpret art history from a radically contemporary perspective.
Why you shouldn’t miss it
At a time when painting is experiencing renewed attention within contemporary art, Katharina Grosse demonstrates that this medium remains fertile ground for experimentation.
Her proposal not only expands the physical limits of painting, but also redefines its function: it is no longer about representing the world, but transforming it.
“I Set Out, I Walked Fast” is, ultimately, an invitation to experience colour in a completely new way. An exhibition that is not simply viewed, but lived.
(*) Photos: © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026. Photo © White Cube (Theo Christelis). Portrait of Katharina Grosse: Diana Pfammatter.
