Persona

Tina Oelker’s practice centres on painting, writing and long-term bodies of work developed over several decades.

Biography

Tina Oelker (born 1973 in Westphalia, Germany) is a German artist based in Hamburg. Since the early 1990s, she has built an independent artistic practice spanning painting, writing and concept-driven bodies of work. Her long-term project 1000 Hasen laid the foundation for an œuvre that continues through 25 Colours Stockholm and TOPIA. Each project is developed within its own conceptual framework over an extended period of time, allowing ideas and motifs to evolve gradually. Working across image, text and concept, Oelker revisits and recontextualises earlier works, allowing recurring themes to unfold across her œuvre rather than a linear chronology. She spends extended periods in Italy and maintains close ties to New York. Her works are represented in private and public collections.

Collections

Falckenberg Collection
Brad Pitt Collection
Tchibo Collection
Dreier Werke
Folker Skulima Collection

Selected Awards and Residencies

Art Empire Award (2022)
Noble Project (2010)
AIR Residency NYC (2009)

Selected Exhibitions

2025 — 33 Bilder, Brook 3, Hamburg (Solo)
2024 — Art’partment, curated by Leo Lüpertz, Berlin (Group)
2022 — Pandora’s Box, Galerie OBEN, Hamburg (Solo)
2021 — Die Bank, Worms (Solo)
2019 — West of Where the Sun Goes Down, No Man’s Art Gallery, Amsterdam (Group)
2015 — The World Is a Pineapple and a Hare Lives in It, Alte Münze, Berlin (Solo)
2012 — No Man’s Art Gallery, Paris (Group)
2009 — European Hare, Gershwin Art Hotel, New York (Solo)
2007 — Animalia, Museum Kamen (Solo)
2004 — Beautiful People, 23 cr Gallery, London (Group)

Artist-run Initiatives

Alongside her studio practice, Tina Oelker has initiated and directed independent artistic platforms, exhibitions and interdisciplinary formats, creating spaces for dialogue, collaboration and experimental practice.