Katrin Koenning: Between the Skin and Sea
Katrin Koenning, the acclaimed visual artist, introduces her latest book, between the skin and sea, a compelling collection of photographs that explore themes of love, loss, and human connection. Created over three years (2020–2023) amid a period of global upheaval, the work captures intimate moments within local communities, reflecting the artist’s deep engagement with both vulnerability and resilience.
In between the skin and sea, Koenning employs the concept of the German Stimmungsbild—an evocative mood or atmosphere that transcends literal description—to invite viewers into a world where images evoke feelings beyond words. Her photographs, ranging from metaphorical seascapes to poignant portraits of innocence, underscore the persistent interplay between isolation and solidarity during challenging times.
Celebrated internationally for her technical precision and emotional depth, Katrin Koenning continues to expand her artistic dialogue through this latest publication. between the skin and sea not only offers a visual narrative of contemporary life but also challenges audiences to look deeply, feel profoundly, and connect with the shared human experience.
About the Author
Katrin Koenning (born 1978 in Dortmund, Germany) is a visual artist based in Naarm, Australia. Originally from Bochum-Langendreer in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet, her diverse practice spans still and moving images, text, found materials, painting, and collage. Focused on themes of intimacy and interconnection, her work centers on relational encounters, with projects evolving over years and recurring motifs drawing closer together. Her series often intersect, as she employs fragments and subtle transitions to evoke narrative spaces, communities, and shared experiences that are fluid, interconnected, and multi-layered. Many of her projects explore the entanglement between human and non-human realms, proposing imaginative visions of a more-than-human world.
Koenning has received numerous accolades, including the Bowness Photography Prize. Her work is regularly featured in both solo and group exhibitions across Australia and internationally, with presentations at venues such as Ishara Art Foundation Dubai, Chobi Mela, Paris Photo, the Hamburg Triennial of Photography, the Museum of Australian Photography, the Centre for Contemporary Photography, the Australian Centre for Photography, and the National Gallery of Victoria (2023). Her images have appeared in esteemed publications including The New Yorker, Vogue.com, Zeit Magazine, The Guardian, the New York Times, Esquire Italy, Der Spiegel, Yucca Magazine, and California Sunday. Her work is held in numerous institutional and private collections worldwide; most notably, her large-scale installation while the mountains had feet (2020–2022) was recently acquired in its entirety by the National Gallery of Victoria.
In addition to her artistic practice, Koenning regularly leads workshops on photographic practice and theory, collaborating with institutions and festivals throughout the Asia-Pacific region, such as the Angkor Photo Festival (Siem Reap, Cambodia), Photo Kathmandu (Kathmandu, Nepal), The Lighthouse (Calcutta, West Bengal), Myanmar Deitta (Yangon, Myanmar), the Australian Centre for Photography, the Perth Centre for Photography, the Centre for Contemporary Photography, the Museum of Australian Photography, and the forthcoming Palmtree Workshops in Santorini, Greece.
Katrin Koenning continues to live and work in Naarm (Melbourne) on unceded Boon Wurrung Woi Wurrung Country.
