Kottie Paloma
Having lived and worked for several years in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Berlin, Kottie Paloma has traversed the globe before settling in Vienna. His paintings delve into the darker aspects of society with humor and poignancy. From works grappling with uncertainty and chaos to fictitious portraits that delve into the essence of identity, Paloma challenges us to reflect on our own existence and our connections to the world we inhabit.
Paloma combines stigmas and emblems of his personal life to trace the contours of a critical narrative, tackling vast subjects such as politics and other human behaviours. Art historian and critic, Larissa Kikol discerns the image of a riot in Paloma’s works, “in a formal sense as gestural, material chaos between thing and person- an implosion of innumerable signs”.
Offering an unbridled view on people, cities, carvings and everything in between, Paloma’s body of work includes both abstract and figurative works, with exaggerated shapes and bold bodies reminiscent of animal mothers.
Utilizing muddied color reduction techniques, his art recalls the rawness of the earth and the primitiveness of cave paintings. With each piece, he translates different realms into unique symbols within his abstract compositions, inviting us to contemplate the intricacies of life and society.
Selected Images
Exhibitions
All exhibitions, Kottie Paloma
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Group Exhibition être humain
Antwerp Now open: May 14 — June 27, 2026![]()
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Group Exhibition Bend Sinister
Brussels Now open: May 10 — June 27, 2026![]()
Resume of Kottie Paloma
Selected solo & group exhibitions
- 2024
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- Melody of Madness, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona (Spain)
- Linked by the waves, MORE Museum, Gorssel (Netherlands)
- New Portraits, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona (Spain)
- 2023
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- Rare Works On Paper, DOD Gallery, Cologne (Germany)
- Bathers, Saatchi Yates, London (UK)
- 2022
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- Kottie Paloma, Saatchi Yates, London (UK)
- 2021
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- Dream Decay, Galería Alegria, Madrid (Spain)
- Saatchi Yates in Turin, Saatchi Yates, Turin (Italy)
- Doppelganger, Saatchi Yates, London (UK)
- Kottie Paloma, Ominus, Slow, Burn, Andrea Festa Fine Art, Rome (Italy)
- New Front Teeth, Ruttkowski;68, Paris (France)
- 2020
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- Dante, Night Gallery, Los Angeles (USA)
- Killing Time like a Stray Dog, Gallery C.O.A, Montreal (Canada)
- 2019
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- At Odds, No Gallery, Los Angeles (USA)
- Hit and Run, Ober Gallery, Kent (UK)
- 2018
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- It’s Ok, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles (USA)
- 2017
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- Show Time, Bavarian State Library, Munich (Germany)
- Mutual Affection, ArtMovement, Los Angeles (USA)
- Dimensional Circumstances, Los Angeles (USA)
- Bakers Dozen 6, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, California (USA)
- Blocker, Alma Gallery, Riga (Latvia)
- 2016
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- 21x15, Affenfaust Galerie, Hamburg (Germany)
- Tiger Augen, Jaus Gallery, Los Angeles (USA)
- Cyan/Anthracite, Affenfaust Gallery, Hamburg (Germany)
Art Fairs
- 2025
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- ZONA MACO, Alzueta Gallery, Mexico City (Mexico)
Artworks in collections
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- Tate Modern Library, London (UK)
- MoMA, New York (USA)
- Bucknell University, Pennsylvania (USA)
- Berkeley Bancroft Library, California (USA)
- University of Applied Arts, Vienna (Austria)
- COLLECTIONS Bavarian State Library, Munich (Germany)
- United States Library of Congress - Yale University, Connecticut (USA)
- University of Connecticut, Connecticut (USA)
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA)
- And other private collections
Curatorial projects
- 2011
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- Crossing the Rubicon (Secret Societies), JAS Gallery, Paris (France)
- 2010
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- Chief Curator for Brooklyn Exhibitions, Brooklyn New York (USA)
- Conspiracy of the Collectors Edition, BVG HAUSE, Berlin (Germany)
- 2007
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- Grown-Ups of the Corn, Kottie Paloma’s Studio, San Francisco (USA)
- It’s A Fine Time To Hang Out At Kottie’s II, Kottie Paloma’s House, San Francisco (USA)
- 2006
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- Brains! Send More Cops!, Space Gallery, San Francisco (USA)
- It’s A Fine Time To Hang Out At Kottie’s, Kottie Paloma’s House, San Francisco (USA)
- 2005
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- Dolls, The Record Collector, San Francisco (USA)
- 2004
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- Erotica, The Record Collector, San Francisco (USA)