I only dared to touch you once I knew that you were dead

"I'm looking for a different kind of intimacy in my work."- Claire Morgan, 2023

Galerie Karsten Greve is pleased to present the fifth solo exhibition by artist Claire Morgan in Cologne as part of this year's DC Open Galleries. "I only dared to touch you once I knew that you were dead" presents the artist's first figurative body of work in which women are the central protagonists alongside animals, woven in an unfolding, fractured narrative, throughout the galleries. In nearly thirty new works ranging from painting, installation, sculpture, drawing and printmaking, the exhibition explores the fear of the unknown and loss of control.

Expanding on Claire Morgan's artistic vocabulary which has, until now, captivated with intricate compositions of plant seeds, insects, taxidermy, and multicoloured waste plastic, this exhibition is populated by human presences: sculptures made of wax, textile, animal skin and hair are key to this new group of works by the Irish-born artist, as are ambitious largescale works in pastel, depicting relationships between humans and animals.