Katie Paterson

Katie Paterson is recognized as one of the foremost artists of her generation. By working with scientists and researchers globally, Paterson’s projects explore humanity's position on Earth through the lens of geological time and transformation.

Biography of Katie Paterson

Katie Paterson was born in 1981 in Glasgow, Scotland. After completing her visual arts studies at Edinburgh College of Art from 2000 to 2004, Paterson furthered her education at the Slade School of Fine Art in London until 2007.

Her artistic achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards, such as the Honorary Fellowship from Edinburgh University in 2013 and the South Bank Sky Arts Award in 2015.

Additionally, Paterson has held residencies at UCL's Physics & Astronomy Department, Edinburgh College of Art, the Sanger Institute, and Centro Cultural Andratx.

In 2015, Katie Paterson received international recognition when her artwork "Campo del Cielo, Field of the Sky" (2014) was shortlisted for the 46th Prix International d’Art Contemporain.

Her ongoing project, "Future Library," is a monumental artwork with a 100-year timeline. Launched in 2014, it involves planting a forest in Norway, the wood of which will eventually be used to create paper for an anthology. Each year, a carefully selected writer contributes a text to this time capsule, to be revealed and printed only in 2114.

Recent solo exhibitions of Katie Paterson's works include "Glass Exchange" at National Glass Centre and Durham Cathedral in Sunderland and Durham (2022), "Katie Paterson" at Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh (2022), "Evergreen" at Galleri F15 in Moss (2022), "Vertigo (with Julian Charrière)" at Galerie Tschudi in Zuoz (2021), "The Earth Has Many Keys" at NYLO The Living Art Museum in Reykjavik (2021). and many more. 

Paterson's recent artistic endeavors include the monumental public sculpture "Mirage" at Apple Park in California, created in a collaboration with studio Zeller & Moye. Additionally, she has created permanent installations for the University of Edinburgh ("Ideas") and collaborated on "Burn, Forest, Fire" with IHME Helsinki and "Glass Exchange" with the National Glass Centre and Durham Cathedral.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Fife, Scotland.

Katie Paterson's Art Style

In her artworks, Paterson utilizes advanced technologies and specialized knowledge to create intimate, poetic, and philosophical connections between people and their natural surroundings. Merging a Romantic sensibility with a research-driven approach and a minimalist aesthetic, her work bridges the gap between the viewer and the farthest reaches of time and the cosmos.

Paterson’s work charts various stages in Earth's geological history and the universe, with its countless stars and ancient voids. While her explorations span distant realms of time and space, they remain anchored in our present moment. Paterson’s projects emphasize the journey between here and there, allowing us to connect with events that occurred billions of years ago, such as the melting of glaciers or the growth of forests.

Her work uniquely captures elusive phenomena at the edge of tangibility with surprising immediacy. Her multimedia, conceptually driven pieces feature an aesthetic that is both minimal and sensual, engaging viewers' imaginations and presenting complex ideas in a poetic and accessible manner.

Her projects encompass broadcasting the sounds of a melting glacier live, mapping all the dead stars, compiling a slide archive of cosmic darkness, creating a light bulb to mimic moonlight, and sending a recast meteorite back into space. Her work evokes feelings of humility, wonder, and melancholy reminiscent of the Romantic sublime, balancing understated gestures with a monumental scope.