Katrin Fridriks

Katrin Fridriks (b. 1974, Iceland) is an abstract expressionist painter who examines questions about new technologies and polemical scientific research of the contemporary age. Fridriks explores forces that mould our society, raising controversial and political themes through her pieces. Her artistic process looks at stimulating our memory and consciousness. Fridrik’s Icelandic roots have aroused a curiosity in the four elements – air, fire, earth, and water. These elements are powerfully displayed in her native country by volcanoes, geysers and glaciers, shaping her practice of  comprehending nature and life.

With her well-defined colour palette using silver, gold, copper and aluminium as backgrounds and shadows, Fridriks takes us deeper into her richly colourful world. Through the enlarged size and shape of her drippings, in the vein of pioneer Jackson Pollock yet imbued with an enhanced precision and technique, the movement of her kinetic abstract paintings are heightened, evoking a stronger rhythm and boldness. The essence of this visual language radiates from a self-taught urban iconoclast. Emphasized by a tireless work on matter and technique, her abstract expressionism combined with subtle Japanese calligraphic details embodies the cultural wealth and open-mindedness from years spent in several countries. Fridriks’ pictorial substance envelops space, shape and time. Creating new perspectives, her work brings an innovative dimension to abstraction.