Katharina Sieverding was born in Prague in 1944. She trained at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg from 1963-64, followed by consecutive degrees in theatre production, fine art, and film from 1964-74 at the Staatliche Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf, where she studied under Teo Otto and Joseph Beuys. In 1976 and 77 she conducted post-graduate research at the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Programme and the New School for Social Research in New York. She also participated in study programmes in the Republic of China, the Soviet Union and the United States from 1972-88.

Sieverding is one of Europe’s most acclaimed artists; her work, which explores feminist identity politics through photographic and film media, has featured in several landmark exhibitions including three Documentas and five Venice Biennales. Her solo museum exhibitions include Kunstwerk Berlin, PS1 New York, Kunsthalle Budapest, Stedelijk Museum, and Kunstverein Bonn.