Katja Reichert

People fascinate me.
The things we feel but rarely name. The strange inner worlds we carry with us. Our fragmented understanding of reality.

I make work about the often inexplicable experience of being human — the questions it leaves us with. The ways it sets us apart — and unites us.

From stage to studio

I originally studied costume and stage design, but somehow ended up on the other side of the curtain. What followed was more than 30 years in musical theatre — telling stories through voice, body and emotion. Drawing and painting stayed with me throughout those years, alongside my life on stage. Over time, they moved from the background to the centre of my life. What began as a return gradually became a new artistic language.

Today I work from my studio in a 500-year-old house at the foot of the Semmering in Austria, surrounded by paintings, fabrics, found materials — and probably more ideas than I will ever have time to make.

Inside the Studio

I usually begin intuitively, letting colour, movement and spontaneous marks lead the way. As the layers build, a story, question or idea begins to emerge — becoming clearer with each decision I make.

For occasional glimpses behind the scenes, studio experiments and timelapses, you can follow along on YouTube.