Gerken describes painting as a dialogue between herself and the canvas. She allows herself to drift and meander into the unknown, until finally the invisible becomes visible. Ultimately, the image takes shape like a creature that evolves out of nothing.

In recent years, Gerken has begun to favor larger formats. She paints large canvases flat on the floor, which enables her to literally get inside the painting. Gerken says that the bigger the painting, the more likely she is to get lost inside it – in a positive sense, because working large makes her more reliant on intuition and feeling. 

Ina Gerken studied at Kunsakademie Düsseldorf with Katharina Grosse. She has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA. She lives and works in Düsseldof, Germany. Recently she has been selected for the artist residency program in Skowhegan Scool of Painting and Sculpture and awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.