Justine Otto is a German–Polish painter whose work moves between figuration and abstraction, focusing on group psychology, collective behavior, and the fragile borders between individuality and social dynamics. Born in Zabrze, Poland, she studied at the Städelschule Frankfurt am Main and graduated in 2003 as a Master Student in Fine Arts. Her paintings—often atmospheric and layered—explore how groups form, dissolve, and exert influence, drawing on an ongoing interest in social rituals, power structures, and the emotional undercurrents of crowds.

Otto’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in Germany and abroad, including the Berlinische Galerie, Museum Wiesbaden, Kunsthalle Darmstadt, Kunstmuseum Celle, Kunstverein Aschaffenburg, CCA Andratx in Spain, and the Torrance Art Museum in California. Recent projects include EXCHANGE at Museum Schloss Köthen, Happy Clouds at Polarraum Hamburg, the conceptual solo project Groupshow – Soloshow at Galerie Maurer, Frankfurt, and her participation in the international exhibition program between Changwon and Hamburg. Her earlier exhibition history also includes Neue Galerie Gladbeck, as well as upcoming presentations such as A Groupshow at Galerie Maurer and ZOOOM at Galerie Arsenal in 2025.

Otto received the Emerging Artist Prize of The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. in 2014 and has been featured in the publication New Traditionalists (DCV Verlag, 2022). Her CV includes numerous curated collaborations, workshops, and long-term engagements within painter networks such as MNW and Frank_Netzwerk Frankfurt. She lives and works in Hamburg.