Katie Holten grew up in Ireland and studied Fine Art & History of Art at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin, and Cornell University in New York. She also studied Complex Systems Science at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico.
At the root of Holten’s practice is a commitment to study the inextricable relationship between Humans and Nature. Drawing is her primary research tool.
Several years ago, recognizing a looming crisis of representation as our species adapts to life in the Anthropocene, Holten created a Tree Alphabet and published the book ABOUT TREES, offering readers a language beyond the Human.
Since 2014 Holten has hosted monthly Sunday Salons in her home for a community of artists, scientists, writers, philosophers and engaged citizens to explore the possibilities for Art and Activism in the Anthropocene. She recently created a New York City Tree Alphabet.
In 2003, Holten represented Ireland at the 50th Venice Biennale with a solo pavilion presentation entitled Laboratorio della Vigna. Other important solo museum exhibitions include the New Orleans Museum of Art in New Orleans (2012), Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane in Dublin (2010), The Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York (2009); Villa Merkel in Esslingen (2008), Nevada Museum of Art in Reno (2008) and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2007). She has conceived major public commissions including TREE MUSEUM (2009-2010) for New York City’s Grand Concourse commissioned by the NYC Parks Department, the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill.
The recipient of numerous Grants and Fellowships, including a Fulbright Scholarship, Pollock Krasner Award, and multiple Bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland, Holten is a recent MacDowell Fellow and Fellow of the Arts & Humanities Residency at the NYC Urban Field Station awarded by the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the US Forest Service.
