Elisabeth Masé (born 1959 in Basel, Switzerland) studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Basel (HGK/FHNW) from 1979 to 1983. From 1984 to 1997, she taught painting and drawing there, and in 1994 served as a guest lecturer at the State Academy of Art in Oslo. Since 1996, she has lived and worked in Germany, since 2012 in Berlin, while maintaining a continued connection to Trieste, Italy.
Masé is a multidisciplinary artist and writer whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, photography, objects, spatial and architectural interventions, and film. Since 2018, she has also worked as a dramaturge, director and scenographer for an international dance company. Her work explores bodily self-perception and the associative power of the unconscious, moving between abstract and figurative-narrative modes shaped by vulnerability, loss, dreams, trauma, sarcasm and humour.
Since 2016, Masé has developed participatory and interdisciplinary art projects across Europe, West Africa and the United States. These include Das Kleid / The Dress, Der Mantel / The Cloak, Die Braut / The Bride and W.I.R., often realized in collaboration with the Tchekpo Dance Company. Her interdisciplinary practice brings together visual art, performance, dance, literature and social engagement.
Her public works include Les Cours Étoilées at the Faculty of Science of the University of Neuchâtel, created in collaboration with architect Simon Rösch; Der Morgen at Museum Waldhof in Bielefeld, with architect Andreas Wannenmacher; and the Raum der Stille at Capella Hospitalis in Bielefeld, with BHP Architekten.
Alongside her visual practice, Masé has published bibliophile books, graphic editions, poetry collaborations and literary works since 1992. Her publications include Der Hibiskus blutet (2011), Amerika. Give Me a Reason to Love You (2013), Children and Dictators (2019) and the novel Das schlafende Krokodil (2021), as well as the artist’s book Die Braut (2022).
Her work has been exhibited extensively in Europe and the United States in museums, kunsthalles, art associations and galleries, including Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Museum MARTa in Herford, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Neuchâtel, Kunstverein Trieste Contemporanea, and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, New York.
Masé has received numerous awards and grants, including the Swiss Federal Art Prize, the Kiefer-Hablitzel Prize, the Manor Kunstpreis Basel, and a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. Her works are held in public and private collections in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United States and Japan.
Elisabeth Masé (born 1959 in Basel, Switzerland) studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Basel (HGK/FHNW) from 1979 to 1983. From 1984 to 1997, she taught painting and drawing there, and in 1994 served as a guest lecturer at the State Academy of Art in Oslo. Since 1996, she has lived and worked in Germany, since 2012 in Berlin, while maintaining a continued connection to Trieste, Italy.
Masé is a multidisciplinary artist and writer whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, photography, objects, spatial and architectural interventions, and film. Since 2018, she has also worked as a dramaturge, director and scenographer for an international dance company. Her work explores bodily self-perception and the associative power of the unconscious, moving between abstract and figurative-narrative modes shaped by vulnerability, loss, dreams, trauma, sarcasm and humour.
Since 2016, Masé has developed participatory and interdisciplinary art projects across Europe, West Africa and the United States. These include Das Kleid / The Dress, Der Mantel / The Cloak, Die Braut / The Bride and W.I.R., often realized in collaboration with the Tchekpo Dance Company. Her interdisciplinary practice brings together visual art, performance, dance, literature and social engagement.
Her public works include Les Cours Étoilées at the Faculty of Science of the University of Neuchâtel, created in collaboration with architect Simon Rösch; Der Morgen at Museum Waldhof in Bielefeld, with architect Andreas Wannenmacher; and the Raum der Stille at Capella Hospitalis in Bielefeld, with BHP Architekten.
Alongside her visual practice, Masé has published bibliophile books, graphic editions, poetry collaborations and literary works since 1992. Her publications include Der Hibiskus blutet (2011), Amerika. Give Me a Reason to Love You (2013), Children and Dictators (2019) and the novel Das schlafende Krokodil (2021), as well as the artist’s book Die Braut (2022).
Her work has been exhibited extensively in Europe and the United States in museums, kunsthalles, art associations and galleries, including Kunsthalle Basel, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Museum MARTa in Herford, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Neuchâtel, Kunstverein Trieste Contemporanea, and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, New York.
Masé has received numerous awards and grants, including the Swiss Federal Art Prize, the Kiefer-Hablitzel Prize, the Manor Kunstpreis Basel, and a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. Her works are held in public and private collections in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United States and Japan.
“Who are we – and why are we the way we are? I am concerned with the image of the human being in all its essential facets”. – Elisabeth Masé
Not afraid to explore the darkest recesses of the human psyche, Elisabeth Masé’s artworks underscores the fundamental influence of childhood in shaping psychology.
Her work frequently illuminates the profound impact that dysfunctional early experiences can imprint on the mind, revealing how unmet fundamental needs — such as the need for protection and belonging — resonate universally across humanity. The subjects in her watercolours and drawings are suspended in void spaces, positioned within interracial, intercultural planes free from external noise and confusion, creating a setting where trauma can be unfolded and faced. Whether in projects like “Die Braut/The Bride,” dwelling into specific traumas – presented last year in our old rooms – or broader investigations like “The Evil Child” exploring darker aspects of the human psyche, or “Dark Days in Paradise” displaying dystopian landscapes of subconscious desires, Masé’s meticulous lines and the ethereal quality of her shades against empty backgrounds evoke in any case an oniric atmosphere. This deliberate aesthetic mirrors the way dreams unravel conscious and subconscious complexities, infusing her practice with profound introspection and emotional depth.
ARTWORKS HIGHLIGHTS
INSTALLATION VIEWS
Exhibition Title: THE 99 NAMES OF THE GODDESS
Artists: Elisabeth Masé
Location: Luisa Catucci Gallery, Allerstr. 38, 12049 Berlin
Curator: Luisa Catucci
Jan 25nd – March 4th, 2023
Exhibition Title: MORE AND MORE GODDESSES
Artists: Elisabeth Masé
Location: Luisa Catucci Contemporary, Brunnenstrs 170, 10119 Berlin
Curator: Luisa Catucci
Sept 6th – Oct 12nd, 2024
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Her solo exhibitions include More and More Goddesses, Luisa Catucci Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2024); Das schlafende Krokodil, BuchKunst Kleinheinrich, Münster, Germany (2022); Das Kleid / The Dress, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York, USA (2020); Children and Dictators, Bunker Ulmenwall, Bielefeld, Germany (2020); Der Mantel / The Cloak, Kultur-Stiftung St. Matthäus, Berlin, Germany (2020); Children and Dictators, Gallery Katharina Maria Raab, Berlin, Germany (2019); Dark Days in Paradise, Kunstverein Moabit / Galerie Nord, Berlin, Germany (2018); The Dress, Museum Kunsthalle Bielefeld / Bielefelder Kunstverein, Bielefeld, Germany (2017); Amerika. Give Me a Reason to Love You, Gallery Katharina Maria Raab, Berlin, Germany (2017); Das Kleid / The Dress, Gallery Katharina Maria Raab, Berlin, Germany (2016); Amerika. Give Me a Reason to Love You, BuchKunst Kleinheinrich, Münster, Germany (2014); Amerika. Give Me a Reason to Love You, Künstlerinnenforum e.V., Bielefeld, Germany (2013); Der Hibiskus blutet, Gallery Van Laak-Bérenger, Bielefeld, Germany (2011); Monuments, Synagoge Art Society, Oerlinghausen, Germany (2009); Die Unsterblichen, Museum Kunsthalle Bielefeld / Bielefelder Kunstverein, Bielefeld, Germany (2007); Projekt Schweiz / Causa Sui, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland (1992).
Her group exhibitions include Artiste contemporanee, Casa Museo Anderson, Rome, Italy, September 28, 2026; Kunsthalle Barmen / oqbo Paperfile Auswärtsspiel, within Merry Company, paperfile artists’ project, May 1–September 6, 2026, Germany; Mask, Nairobi National Gallery Museum, Nairobi, Kenya, July 10–31, 2026; Symphonie of Civilisations, Museum of Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China, April 24–May 20, 2026; The Ubiquity of Elsewhere, Luisa Catucci Contemporary, Berlin, Germany (2026); In Transition – From Performance to Exhibition, VBK Gallery, Berlin, Germany, October 5–26, 2025; Made in France, Galerie Richard, Paris, France (2025); Zwischenblicke, EMOP – European Month of Photography, VdBK 1867 Exhibition Space, Berlin, Germany, March 1–30, 2025; Art Miami, Galerie Richard, Miami, USA (2024); BUCHKUNST & KUNSTBUCH, VdBK 1867 Exhibition Space, Berlin, Germany (2024); RE:VISION – 20 Years of Kunstverein Tiergarten, Galerie Nord / Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany (2024); Das Gesicht, Galerie Verein Berliner Künstler, Berlin, Germany (2024); Black and Almost Black, Fundaziun Not Vital, Ardez / Sent / Tarasp, Engadin, Switzerland (2024); 5 Works, 16th Century Meets 21st Century, Collectors Space Ritterstraße 8, Berlin, Germany, June 14–29, 2024; Shelter, Global Village Berlin, Gutshof Britz, Berlin, Germany (2024); Troubled Nature, Haus Kunst Mitte / VdBK 1867, Berlin, Germany (2022); Peinture : Obsolescence Déprogrammée – Licences Libres, Musée de l’Hospice Saint-Roch, Issoudun, France (2022); Peinture : Obsolescence Déprogrammée, Musée de l’Abbaye Sainte-Croix and Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain des Sables d’Olonne, France (2021); Kunst trotz(t) Ausgrenzung, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (2020); How the Light Gets In, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York, USA (2020); Vitraux d’artistes, Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, France (2020); News of the Fake, Orangerie du Château de Sucy-en-Brie, France (2018); OWL 1/2007, Museum MARTa, Herford, Germany (2007); Leere × Vision – Körper und Gegenstände, Museum MARTa, Herford, Germany (2003); Big is Beautiful, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Neuchâtel, Switzerland (2002); La Grande Illusion, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Neuchâtel, Switzerland (2001); Welt-Moral – Moralvorstellungen in der Kunst heute, Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland (1994).
Her performances and interdisciplinary projects include Pour Miles D. and ILEMUM, Tanzfestival Bielefeld, TOR 6 Theaterhaus, with Tchekpo Dance Company, Bielefeld, Germany, July 28, 2026; FLOW, DansArt Tanznetworks, concept and staging with Tchekpo Dan Agbetou, Lemgo and Bielefeld, Germany, September 13–October 18, 2025; DIE KETTE IV – Finale, DansArt Theater, concept and staging with Tchekpo Dan Agbetou for Young DansArt Company and DansArt Academy, Bielefeld, Germany, June 14, 2025; DIE KETTE III, DansArt Theater, concept and staging with Tchekpo Dan Agbetou for Young DansArt Company and DansArt Academy, Bielefeld, Germany, December 20, 2024; Il Mantello per Trieste, ITS Arcademy Museum of Art in Fashion / Teatro Il Rossetti / CulturArtefetto / Trieste Contemporanea, a Total Work of Art by Elisabeth Masé with Tchekpo Dan Agbetou, Trieste, Italy, November 18, 2024; ILEMUM, Biennale Passages 24, concept and staging with Tchekpo Dan Agbetou for Tchekpo Dance Company, DansArt Theatre, Bielefeld, Germany (2024); Le Manteau II, Biennale Passages, Bielefeld, Germany (2022); Le Manteau II, Palmadanza, Palma de Mallorca, Spain (2022); Le Manteau II, Ipunintidanza, Biella, Italy (2022); Le Manteau II, Abidjan Biennale MASA, Côte d’Ivoire (2022); Pour Miles D., Danse L’Été, Strasbourg, France (2022); W.I.R., Biennale Artists in Fusion, Bielefeld, Germany (2021); Pour Miles D., Festival Move, Krefeld, Germany (2020); Pour Miles D., Stadttheater Gießen, Germany (2020); Pour Miles D., Tanzwerke Vanêk Preuß / Confludance, Bonn, Germany (2020); The Cloak, Seattle International Dance Festival, Seattle, USA (2019); The Cloak, International Dance Festival Zawiworania, Warsaw, Poland (2018).
Her publications include Die Braut, artist’s book with Leporello and DVD, Hybriden Verlag, Berlin (2022); Das schlafende Krokodil, novel, Kleinheinrich, Münster (2021); Children and Dictators, livre de peintre with poems and short stories, Kleinheinrich, Münster (2019); Amerika. Give Me a Reason to Love You, livre de peintre with poems and short stories, Kleinheinrich, Münster (2013); Der Hibiskus blutet, livre de peintre with poems and short stories, Kleinheinrich, Münster (2011); Künstler – Kritisches Lexikon der Gegenwartskunst, Elisabeth Masé, ed. Detlef Bluemler (2009); Das kann es nicht gewesen sein, Edition Künstlerinnenforum, Bielefeld (2002); Survival Kit for Young Female Artists, Edition Künstlerinnenforum, Bielefeld (2001); Nicht Fisch, nicht Vogel, book illustrations, Christoph Merian Stiftung / Verlag, Basel (1994); Sea & Sky, artist’s portfolio with screenprints to the poem by Robert Lax (1994); Das Gedächtnis und die Hand, illustrations to poems by Edmond Jabès, Kleinheinrich, Münster (1992); Das Echo von Bois Râteau, illustrations to poems by Tadeus Pfeifer, Von Loeper, Karlsruhe (1992); I, two screenprints for Edition Ars Felix, Basel (1992); Vorsatzblatt I + II, Edition Stadtbuch, Christoph Merian Stiftung, Basel (1990); Im Gras schreit freundlich der Affe, illustrations to poems by Tadeus Pfeifer, Von Loeper, Karlsruhe (1989); Dr. Schnabels Totentanz, edited and designed art and literature portfolio, Basel (1988).
Her public art and architectural projects include Les Cours Étoilées, Faculty of Science, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, with architect Simon Rösch; Der Morgen, Museum Waldhof, Bielefeld, Germany, with architect Andreas Wannenmacher; Raum der Stille, Capella Hospitalis, Bielefeld, Germany, with BHP Architekten.
Her works are held in the following public and private collections such as Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York, USA; Kunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany; Kunstkredit Basel-Stadt, Basel, Switzerland; Kunstkredit Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland; Fonds National d’Art Contemporain (FNAC), Paris, France; Fonds Municipal d’Art Contemporain (FMAC), Paris, France; FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France; FRAC Poitou-Charentes, Angoulême, France; Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Angers, France; Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan and Helvetia Versicherungen, Switzerland; Bank Julius Bär, Switzerland; Manor, Geneva, Switzerland; Société Générale Collection, Paris, France.
Her awards and grants include Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, residency (1985); Swiss Award (1987); Kiefer-Hablitzel Prize (1987, 1988, 1989); Manor Kunstpreis Basel (1992); Kultur-Stern der NW (2011).