Katalin Krasznahorkai (PhD) is a Berlin-based art historian, curator and author. Since May 2022 she is the Lead Curator|Artistic Director at the Brandenburgische Gesellschaft für Kultur und Geschichte in Potsdam and a Lead Expert-Advisor at the Council of Europe for the project “Free to Create – Create to be Free“
In her academic research she focuses on diverse aspects of artistic freedom focusing on the interaction between state security operations and art and Black Power in Eastern Europe.
Recently, she worked as
a Gerda Henkel Senior Research Fellow at the University of Zurich (2020-2022), doing research on Black Power in Eastern Europe in Arts and Culture.
Co-curator with Christin Müller, Franziska Schmidt, Sonia Voss and Susanne Altmann of the exhibition “Pants Wearing Skrits/Hosen haben Röcke an. Die Künstlerinnegruppe Erfurt 1984-1994”at the Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (nGbK), Berlin (27. November 2021 – 23. Januar 2022) with a publication at Hatje Cantz (2023)
ITC Grant Coordinator and MC Member Switzerland (2020-2024) in the COST-Action 18204—Dynamics of Placemaking in Europe.
Her monograph “Operative Art History or Who is Afraid of Artists?” will be published by Spector Books in 2023.
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2020, she curated with Inke Arns and Sylvia Sasse the exhibition “Artists&Agents. Performance Art and te Secret Services” at HMKV Dortmund, which was awarded as “Exhibition of the Year 2020” by the German AICA. With Sylvia Sasse, she is the editor of a volume of the same name, published by Spector Books 2022.
1996-2003 Krasznahorkai worked as a curator at the Ludwig Museum Budapest . Since 2003 she lives and works in Berlin. 2010-2016 she was the Project Director at the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin. Krasznahorkai is a member of AICA and Chair of the Berlin association Critique&Culture e.V.
EDUCATION
University of Hamburg, Hamburg, PhD
Art History, 2015, publication: “Spitze der Blitze. Das Lightning Field zwischen Bild- und Technikgeschichte“, edition metzel, 2018. Dissertation title: “The Form and Material of Land Art. Walter De Maria`s Lightning Field and Robert Smithson`s Spiral Jetty between Art, Nature and Science”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Monika Wagner. Second advisor: Prof. Dr. Frank Fehrenbach Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Postgraduate Studies
in Art History, September 2002- September 2005: Thesis: El Lisstitzky and the Fourth Dimension in Art, Seminar by Prof. Dr. Horst Bredekamp.
University of Vienna, Vienna Theory of Science and Cognitive Science, September 2005-January 2006, Seminar by Prof. Dr. Markus F. Peschl
Eötvös Lorand University of Sciences, Budapest, Master of Arts
in Art History, June 2003 Thesis: “Ion Grigorescu. Life and Work”, First advisor: Prof. Dr. László Beke, Second advisor: Dr. Annamária Szöke
RESEARCH INTERESTS
#Postcolonialism in Eastern Europe
#Memorypolitics in Art and Culture
#Archives of Intelligence Services and Art in Eastern Europe #Material aesthetics and material iconography Philosophy of Nature
#Climate & Land Art
katalin krasznahorkai 