Katharina Grosse's exhibition 'I Set Out, I Walked Fast' at White Cube London presents a continuous environment where painting extends beyond the canvas into space. The show features new works, archival material, and a large in-situ installation that combines mounds of earth, a partially submerged canvas, and a bronze-cast sculpture into a single painted field. Grosse uses an industrial spray gun to apply acrylic pigments, creating works that blur boundaries between surface, site, and viewer. The exhibition avoids chronological order, instead connecting pieces from different periods to form a spatial network where individual works function as nodes.
This exhibition matters because it challenges traditional definitions of painting by treating it as an open, evolving system that unfolds across space and time. Grosse's approach, rooted in performance and spatial practices, pushes painting beyond the confines of the canvas into immersive environments. By integrating earth, sculpture, and archival works into a continuous painted field, the show redefines how viewers experience color, movement, and materiality. It also highlights White Cube's ongoing commitment to presenting ambitious, site-responsive installations that expand the boundaries of contemporary art.