Karina Pauls

Prof. Dr. Karina Pauls serves as Professor and Head of Institute for Art / Music / Textiles within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Paderborn University. Her interdisciplinary role bridges artistic practice and art education, specifically focusing on sculpture and its didactics. She maintains an active presence through her artistic work documented at www.karinapauls.de and directs the institute from Room S1.102 at Warburger Str. 100, Paderborn.

Her educational background includes doctoral research on spatial concepts in art, specifically examining works by Rachel Whiteread and Gregor Schneider. This foundation informs her current research profile that integrates historical and contemporary perspectives on sculpture.

Research interests center on expanding traditional sculpture concepts through open-ended artistic processes. Key areas include:

• Material significance and handling techniques in learning processes
• Optical/haptic perception in sculpture education
• Ceramics as experimental medium in art classes
• Conceptual-technical balance in artistic projects
• Spatial concepts derived from contemporary artists
• Integration of contemporary art practices in teaching

Her work emphasizes the reflective connection between artistic creation and educational methodology.

Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on pedagogical frameworks for sculpture education, with particular attention to spatial concepts and material processes. The 2022 publications reveal consistent exploration of how sculptural practices can be adapted for diverse educational contexts while maintaining contemporary relevance.

Her teaching portfolio includes specialized courses such as:

• "Skulptur und ihre Bezugsfelder im Kunstunterricht" (Sculpture and its reference fields in art education)
• "Zwischen Softskulptur und keramischem Objekt" (Between soft sculpture and ceramic objects)
• "Künstlerische Werkstatt - Bildhauerei" (Artistic workshop - sculpture)

These courses reflect her commitment to connecting practical studio work with theoretical frameworks.

Prof. Pauls leads the Art Practice Blog project and utilizes the university's Silo workshops for technical training. Her artistic work focuses on color-form relationships in drawing/printmaking, ceramic expression potential, figurative sculpture spatial references, and line concepts across mediums.