My First Solo Show Is Here — And It's Not About Decoration
May 14–18, 2026 · Grindelallee 129, Hamburg
You live in a world that never stops producing input. Notifications, deadlines, conversations, screens — your nervous system is processing all of it, all the time. Most people call this "normal." I call it overload.
RAUSCHEN is my answer to that.
What RAUSCHEN Is About
Rauschen is a German word that doesn't translate cleanly into English. It means noise — but also the sound of wind through trees, the static between radio stations, the roar of the ocean. It is chaos and calm at the same time.
That tension is exactly what this exhibition explores.
As a pharmacist and abstract painter, I think about the body as a system. I know what chronic overstimulation does at a biological level — the cortisol spikes, the dysregulated nervous system, the state of constant alertness that slowly erodes rest and focus. I also know that the visual environment shapes that system more than most people realize. Color, rhythm, and form are not neutral. They communicate directly with the brain — before thought, before language.
RAUSCHEN brings together a body of abstract paintings designed to do one thing: interrupt the noise. Not by demanding your attention, but by earning your stillness.
These are not decorative pieces. They are what I call visual anchors — works that give your parasympathetic nervous system somewhere to land.
The Exhibition
When: May 14–18, 2026
Where: Grindelallee 129, Hamburg
Opening Hours: 2pm-7pm
RAUSCHEN is my first solo exhibition, supported by Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. It runs for five days and includes a curated program of events designed to extend the experience beyond the paintings themselves.
What's Happening This Week
Vernissage — May 14
The official opening. Come see the works, meet the people behind the collaborations, and experience the space before the week unfolds.
Tea & Paint with ConPhyMed — May 15
A relaxed, guided creative session pairing plant-based tea rituals with abstract painting. No experience needed. Just presence.
The Art of Our Senses & Breathwork — May 16
A multi-sensory experience in collaboration with Elena of Olena and Alan of alan friday. Breathwork meets abstract art — two modalities that speak directly to the nervous system, together in one space.
Sound Bath — May 17
An immersive session with Tina Klitsch. Lie back, close your eyes, and let the frequencies do what they do. The paintings stay on the walls. The sound fills the rest.
Aroma Ritual — May 18
The closing event. A sensory ritual with Steffi Lara and Vanessa Leutner, working with scent as a tool for grounding and integration.
Each event is intentional. Each one extends what the paintings start.
Why This Exhibition Exists
I did not plan to become an artist. I trained as a pharmacist because I wanted to understand how the body works — what helps it heal, what disrupts it, what it needs to function well.
At some point, I realized that paint was doing something similar for me. The act of making, and later, the act of looking — both were measurably regulating. Not metaphorically. Measurably.
RAUSCHEN is the intersection of everything I know: color psychology, neuroscience, and the specific kind of attention that abstract art demands. It is not escapism. It is recalibration.
If you have been running on high for too long, this week is for you.
Come and See
RAUSCHEN opens May 14 at Grindelallee 129, Hamburg. Entry is free. All events have limited spots — links to register are on page "Events" on my website
If you can't make it in person, the works are available at valeriekatharina.com.
Valerie Katharina is a Hamburg-based abstract painter and pharmacist. Her work sits at the intersection of color psychology, neuroscience, and visual art.