Monika Morgenstern
Monika Morgenstern is a contemporary visual artist based in Strathalbyn, South Australia, whose work centers on the exploration of light, colour, and mystical experience. Originally from near Cologne, Germany, Monika moved to Australia in 1990 and has since developed a distinctive practice that blends painting, digital media, and glasswork to create immersive installations and artworks.
Trained at the Adelaide Central School of Art, where she completed both an Associate Degree and a Bachelor of Visual Art with Honours, Monika combines her formal education with a rich background in interior design and finished art from institutions in Germany and Australia. Her work investigates how colour functions as a spiritual and psychological force, using subtle gradients, luminous forms, and light-based media to evoke a sense of transcendence and contemplation.
Monika’s artistic practice often involves lightboxes, projections, and layered glass surfaces that challenge traditional notions of painting and sculpture. Through this multimedia approach, she invites viewers to engage deeply with the phenomenology of perception — how we experience and interpret light and colour in space.
Her exhibitions, including The Radiant Now (2022), Wordless Silence (2023), and Phenomenal (2023), have been praised for their ethereal beauty and emotional depth. Monika has received several grants and awards, such as an Arts South Australia Fellowship and the Eran Svigos Award, recognizing her innovative work and contributions to the South Australian arts community.
Operating from her private studio in Strathalbyn, Monika regularly opens her doors to the public, providing an intimate setting to experience her evolving exploration of light and colour firsthand.