Cathrin Hoffmann (b. 1984, Germany) is a German-Iranian artist based in Berlin. Working across painting, sculpture, and installation, Hoffmann addresses the challenges of human existence in the post-digital age. Her work engages with the global crisis of humanism, marked by acceleration, alienation, climate change, political instability, and armed conflict. Central to her practice is the question: What becomes of humanity when the physical body is replaced by a digital existence?
Hoffmann’s distinct artistic style focuses on abstract depictions of the human form, which oscillate between mechanical, geometric shapes and fluid, grotesquely distorted representations. These forms engage with modernist movements, critically reexamining their problematic aspects, such as inadequate gender representation, detachment from social issues, and an excessive fascination with technology. Her work recontextualizes these concerns in light of the pressing issues of the 21st century.
A self-taught artist, Hoffmann combines virtual and physical elements in her practice, breaking down the boundaries between painting and sculpture. Her figures often appear as avatars, contorted into impossible poses and rendered in shades of pink and blue.
Her work is characterized by smooth, digital-like gradients, juxtaposed with dynamic brushstrokes, rough textures, and unconventional materials, which create both a virtual and tangible presence. Hoffmann cites Egon Schiele and Francis Bacon as influences, particularly for their distortion of the human form. She has exhibited extensively in Europe and the United States, where her work challenges contemporary notions of the human figure, confronting the tensions between physicality, digitality, and identity in the 21st century.