Katharina Grosse

The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program expands the boundaries of public art practice with psychylustro, a new monumental artwork by Katharina Grosse.

Created by Berlin-based visual artist Katharina Grosse, psychylustro transforms one of Philadelphia’s major transportation thoroughfares with a series of seven bright, bold installations along the city’s rail gateway between 30th Street and North Philadelphia stations

Grosse’s work is installed along the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor between Amtrak’s 30th Street and North Philadelphia stations, visible to SEPTA commuters and Amtrak passengers traveling between New York and Washington, D.C.

The temporary public art installation transforms over time as the elements reclaim the space, unfolding in a series of passages framed through the windows of the moving train, creating a real-time landscape painting that explores shifting scale, perspective and the passage of time. The work creates a choreographed experience that moves viewers through time and space, illuminating the rubble, the wild eruptions of nature, and the man-made contradictions of decay and rebirth in a post-industrial American city.

Katharina Grosse, <i>psychylustro</i>, Philadeplhia — Katharina Grosse

One of the most significant painters on the contemporary art scene, Grosse is known for her inventive use of vibrant color and innovative fusion of painting, sculpture and architecture. Grosse uses her unique spray-paint technique to spread intense color across a series of sites along a highly traveled yet overlooked passageway.

With nearly 34,000 daily viewers along that stretch of the Northeast Corridor, the installation is a portal for new audiences to experience contemporary art, transforming a routine train journey into a voyage of the imagination. Some sections are also visible from vehicle and pedestrian bridges.

The installation is accompanied by a series of artist talks and a scholarly publication on the work and its installation, designed by Project Projects and featuring essays by project curator Elizabeth Thomas; activist and painter Doug Ashford; assistant professor at New York’s Cooper Union; scholar
and critic Daniel Marcus; and Anthony Elms, curator at Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art and the 2014 Whitney Biennial. The exhibition publication has been supported in part by a grant from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.

01 / 09

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 1 (The Great Wall). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint.

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 7 (Twin Walls). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 7 (Twin Walls). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 7 (Twin Walls). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 3 (Drama Wall). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 3 (Drama Wall). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 3 (Drama Wall). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 6 (Warehouse). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse, psychylustro, 2014, site 6 (Warehouse). Benjamin Moore acrylic indoor paint

Katharina Grosse
psychylustro
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Northeast Rail Corridor between 30th Street Station and North Philadelphia Station

Time Space Existence: the Future of Architecture In Venice

Until November 23, 2025, Venice is the global hub for architectural discussion with "Time Space Existence." This biennial exhibition, spearheaded by the European Cultural Centre, features projects from 52 countries, all focused on "Repairing, Regenerating, and Reusing" for a more sustainable future.

Sponsored content

Katharina Grosse

The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program expands the boundaries of public art practice with psychylustro, a new monumental artwork by Katharina Grosse.

What if the edge could connect?

Time Space Existence: the Future of Architecture In Venice

Latest on News

Latest on Domus