Bio

Gretta Louw is a South African-born Australian artist, writer, and curator. She received her BA with Honours from the University of Western Australia in 2002, subsequently living in Japan and New Zealand before moving to Germany in 2007. Her work has been exhibited widely in public institutions and galleries such as the Wro Art Center (PL), Honor Fraser Gallery (US), Kunstmuseum Solothurn (CH), Münchner Stadtmuseum (DE), bitforms (US), UNSW Galleries (AUS), LABoral (ESP), and Galeri Nasional Indonesia (IDN). She has received numerous awards including an Australia Council Career Development Grant (2019), a Visual Art Prize from the Cultural Department of the City of Munich (2019), the Bahnwärter Stipendium by the City of Esslingen am Neckar (2017), and the Heinrich Vetter Preis of the City of Mannheim (2014), amongst others.

Louw has curated thematic exhibitions at museums including the Villa Merkel (DE), Furtherfield Gallery (UK), and Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery (US) and contributed essays to numerous catalogues and publications. Her artwork and curatorial projects have been covered by press outlets including Hyperallergic, Kunstforum, Motherboard, AQNB Magazine, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and others.


Louw's studio in Starnberg, near Munich, Germany is supported by the Curt Wills-Stiftung, where in addition to her own practice, the artist also mentors emerging artists.


Gretta Louw Portrait

Mail: gretta [@] grettalouw . com

Instagram: grettalouw



Selected publications
and press

2024
Von diesen Kuenstlerinnen ist 2024 Grosses zu erwarten, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 02.01.2024 Link
2023
Portal von Gretta Louw - Kunst-edition zu 75 Jahre Welt am Sonntag, Die Welt, 13.09.2023 Link
Mothering AI: Who's up to the job?', Gretta Louw, Artlink Magazine, Issue 43:2 (Aug - Dec 2023), Adelaide, Australia Link
Eva Hesse: Hommage an ein jung verstorbenes Genie, Roberta De Righi, Abendzeitung, published 27.07.2023 Link
Interested in High-Tech Art?, Artnet News, published 26.06.2023 Link
2022
11 Art Exhibitions in Hong Kong Not to be Missed in November, Zabrina Lo, Tatler Magazine, published 07.11.2022 Link
Going Baroque - Das Neue Barock, in der Galerie LAProjects, Michaela Schabel, Schabel Kultur Blog, published 18.10.2022 Link
They Learn Like Small Children; Gretta Louw interviewed by Marc Garrett, Frankenstein Reanimated: Creation and Technology in the 21st Century, Marc Garrett and Yiannis Colakides (Ed), Torque Editions, London, ISBN 978-0-9932487-6-4 Link
EMOTION-Atelierbesuche - diesen Monat bei Gretta Louw, Dr Sonja Lechner, EMOTION Magazin, Mai 2022 Link
Gretta Louw: Networks, embroidery and new narratives, Tabitha Nagy, RE: Magazine, 18.04.2022 Link
"Digital Combines" at Honor Fraser Gallery, Ashley Ouderkirk, Art and Cake Link
The Hybrid Art of Claudia Hart, Katie Peyton Hofstadter, Right Click Save Link
OK Computer - Florian Kuhlmann, Gretta Louw, Sebastian Schmieg: AUTOMATIC DREAMS, Galerie Wundersee, Buero fuer kunstbezogene Rezeptionsaesthetik Link
2021
Denken wie ein Oktopus, oder: Tentakulaeres Begreifen, Julia Katharina Thiemann / Wilhelm-Hack-Museum (Ed), Distanz Verlag, ISBN 978-3-95476-442-6 Link
Ludwigshafen: Denken wie ein Oktopus, Metropol News Link
Die Sprache der Tiere: Ausstellung in der Rudolf-Scharpf-Galerie, Hans-Ulrich Fechler, Die Rheinpfalz Link
An Interview with Gretta Louw, Helen Adams, Textile Curator Link
2020
The Archive to Come, Charlotte Kent, The Brooklyn Rail, Dec 20 - Jan 21 Link
Dialog auf Distanz, DGK Dr Walter Zahner and Benita Meissner, Kunstverlag Josef Fink, ISBN 978-3-95976-321-9 Link
A Short History of Self-Representation in Digital Art, Tina Sauerlaender, International Journal for Digital Art History, 2020-21, Volume 5 Link
The Commons, Gretta Louw (Ed), documentation of public art project commissioned by the City of Munich Link
Urban Poetics - Consider this a love letter to public space, Ruth Catlow, The Urban Activist, 28.09.2020, Link
Ursula Stroebele zu zeitgenoessischer Kunst und kuenstlicher Intelligenz - Gretta Louw, Ursula Stroebele, ZI Spotlight - Zentralinstitut fuer Kunstgeschichte, 16.09.2020 Link
Parks Statt Parkplaetze, Cora Wucherer, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 20.07.2020 Link
Kuenstlerin Gretta Louw plakatiert ihre Gedanken ueber den oeffentlichen Raum, Roberta De Righi, Abendzeitung, 16.07.2020 Link
Kunst Netz Werk, Anabel Roque Rodriguez & Gretta Louw, Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer christliche Kunst, April 2020 Link
2019
Ein Riff voll Müll, Evelyn Vogel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 9.07.2019 Link
VECTOR Munich, Vector Artist Journal Issue 9, Birthe Blauth (Guest Ed), Peter Gregorio (Managing Ed), Vector Productions Inc, New York, U.S.A. Link
Aviso, Magazin fuer Kunst und Wissenschaft in Bayern, Kultur Digital, Bavarian Ministry for Science and Art (Ed), Munich, Germany Link
2018
La guida di Motherboard al morphing algoritmico, Filippo Lorenzin, Motherboard (Italy) Link
Das Unsichtbare Vernetzen, Heinz Schütz, KUNSTFORUM International 252, Feb - March 2018
Unlocking Proprietorial Art Systems interview: with Artists, Gretta Louw, Antonio Roberts & Annie Abrahams, Marc Garrett, 26.02.2018 Link
2017
The Practice of Art and Science, Gerfried Stocker and Andreas J. Hirsch (Eds), Ars Electronica & European Digital Art and Science Network, Hate Cantz Verlag, Berlin, Germany, ISBN 978-3-7757-4341-9
No Secrets! Bilder der Überwachung: Reiz und Gefahr digitaler Selbstüberwachung, Rudolf Scheute and Dr. Sabine Adler (Eds), Münchner Stadtmuseum and Eres Stiftung, Munich, 2017, ISBN 978-3-00-056058-3
Women, Art and Technology, exhibition catalogue, Arterial (Ed), Aterial and Zone The Waterfront Club, London, U.K
Selfciety: Selbstdarstellung und Selbstwahrnehmung im digitalen Zeitalter, exhibition catalogue, Benjamin Jantzen (Ed), whiteBOX Galerie, Munich, Germany
ARTMUC, art fair catalogue, Intoxicated Demons GmbH (Ed), Munich, Germany
2016
Digital Colonialism and the Marginalization of Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, Christopher Snow Hopkins, Hyperallergic, 8.8.2016
Networking the unseen at Furtherfield Gallery reviewed, Barnaby Lewer, AQNB Magazine, 17.8.2016 Link
Another Future for Aboriginal Digital Art, Amit S. Rai, Mute Magazine, 28.07.2016 Link
Mediating Beach. A Comment On “Networking the Unseen” Exhibition, Filippo Lorenzin, Digicult Link
Unnoticed Art, festival catalogue, Frans van Lent and Maria Martens (Eds), Jap Sam Books, Dordrecht, Netherlands, ISBN 978-90-808675-0-5
The Flaws in Iconic Paintings Get Exposed in ‘Google Art on Canvas’, DJ Pangburn, Vice, 3.04.2016 Link
More Than 50 GIF Artists Take On Selfie Culture, Benoit Palop, Vice, 19.03.2016 Link
2015
Gefangen im weltweiten Netz, Bärbel Schäfer, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23.08.2015 Link
The Internet as Theater, Kyle Chayka, LEAP: International Art Magazine of Contemporary China, 2015 July/Aug Edition
Stadtgalerie Mannheim 2011 - 2015, Benedikt Stegmayer (Ed), Einraumhaus Verlag, Mannheim, Germany, ISBN 978-3-944128-50-4
1984: Schlossausstellung in der Papierfabrik, exhibition catalogue, Johannes Karl (Ed), Künstlervereinigung Dachau e.V., Dachau, Germany
Power of Place, exhibition catalogue, Sharmila Wood (Ed), FORM, Perth, Australia
2014
Deltabeben - Regionale 2014, exhibition catalogue, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum und Kunstverein Ludwigshafen (Ed.), Verlag für zeitgenössische Kunst und Theorie, Ludwigshafen, Germany, ISBN 978-3-944295-08-4
2013
Mannheim - Solothurn, exhibition catalogue, Heinrich Gartentor (Ed), Kunstverein Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland, ISBN 978-3-9524225-0-2
Relational Technical Interposition, Luke Munn, EyeContact, 20.05.2013 Link
BOOK - ART OBJECT, exhibition catalogue, Nikola Vukanovic (Ed), Narodna Biblioteka Srbije (National Library of Serbia), Belgrade, Serbia
2012
Trapped to Reveal - On webcam mediate communication and collaboration, Annie Abrahams, Journal of Artistic Research, Issue 2, 2012, England
Lajamanu Connected, Sarah Aitken, Outback Magazine, Sydney, Australia
Gretta Louw’s Online Performance Controlling_Connectivity, Christian de Lutz, An Alternative Documenta, 12.06.2012 Link
Emergency INDEX 2011, Ugly Duckling Presse, New York, U.S.A., ISBN 978-1-937027-07-0
2011
Performance, Public, and Online Presence: Gretta Louw’s Controlling_Connectivity, Orit Gat, Rhizome, 18.10.2011 Link
The Glasshouse: In Retrospective, Lital Dotan and Eyal Perry (Ed), The Glasshouse, Tel Aviv, Israel, ISBN 978-965-91798-0-0
OK, Computer Performance, Valentina Tanni, Artribune Magazine #3, Italy