How has Katrin Aason’s artistic style evolved over time

Katrin Aason’s career is marked by a significant transition from figurative oil painting to geometric textile abstraction. After participating in the 2019 Havana Biennale, she moved away from literal representation to focus on the "interlaced canvas." Today, her work is a sophisticated blend of contemporary abstraction and traditional weaving, where she treats every strip of fabric as a "pixel" or fragment of a larger narrative.

What role do natural dyes and ancestral techniques play in her work?

Aason’s practice is deeply rooted in the study of pre-Hispanic and traditional Latin American textiles. Following research residencies in Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala, she adopted the use of 100% natural pigments. She hand-dyes her materials using organic sources like indigo (añil), avocado pits, onion skins, and cochinilla, viewing the "alchemy" of these dyes as a way to connect her work to global cultural histories.

What is the significance of the "Beyond Indigo" (Más allá del Índigo) exhibition?

"Beyond Indigo," hosted at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MADC) in San José, was Aason’s most ambitious solo exhibition. It showcased her mastery of natural pigments and large-format textile installations. The exhibition served as both an aesthetic and a biological investigation, exploring how ancient colors like indigo can evoke deep-seated cultural memories and emotional responses in a modern context.

How does the viewer's perspective influence the experience of Aason’s art?

Aason creates "kinetic" textiles that transform based on the viewer’s physical position. Because of the intricate, layered nature of her weaving, the geometry of a piece can shift from a solid block of color at a distance to a complex, vibrating pattern up close. She often uses codes instead of titles for her works to ensure that the viewer’s interpretation remains open and uninfluenced by predefined meanings.

Katrin Aason

Canada, b.1983

Lives and works in Escazú, Costa Rica

Available Sold CV

Commission

Katrin Aason’s oeuvre combines textiles and geometric abstractions, blending tradition with innovation. She recently enjoyed a solo exhibition at the prestigious Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in San José. Her show, 'Mas Alla Del Indigo' (Beyond Indigo), featured textile pieces created by hand-dyeing raw canvas with natural pigments derived from avocado pits, onion skins, black tea, cuculmeca, and indigo. This natural dyeing process, which Aason describes as physical and spiritual, was a skill she learned during her residencies in Peru from communities of women who have preserved this lost art.

The result is a collection of beautifully organic and raw pieces that resonated profoundly in the museum’s industrial setting. Each of her pieces are untitled and assigned a code to encourage personal interpretation.

Her previously highly-acclaimed series A-Simetría Concreta, was exhibited at the National Gallery in San José. This series of work explored the cultural significance of ancient textiles, alongside optical illusions and depth through striking colour.

In her series Angeles & Demonios, Aason studied themes of duality and human complexity, creating ethereal portraits from fine black threads on recycled aluminum sheets. Sanded circularly to enhance symmetry and light reflection, these works evoke a fragile yet resilient balance, inviting contemplation of good and evil.

As a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Costa Rican Association of Visual Artists, Aason has exhibited her work extensively worldwide. Her art, characterised by an the relationships between form, texture, and symbolism, reveals layers of history and emotion, challenging norms and inviting cultural reflection. Aason is set to exhibit at Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica in May 2025.

Why We Love This Artist
Katrin’s textile practice feels like an act of devotion — to the natural dyeing traditions of Latin America, to the communities of women who taught her, to materials that carry centuries of history in their fibres. The resulting pieces are organic, with a spiritual quality. What moves us most is how deeply rooted in history her work is, and yet how completely contemporary it feels. With an international exhibition profile that continues to grow, we are excited to watch where her career takes her next.