[1] In 1994 she received a scholarship for the United States from the German Academic Exchange Service and studied there at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
(In German "Wenn auch ihre Arbeiten mit ihrem vitalen Interesse an Farbe und Farbwirkung eine starke Verankerung im Bereich der Farbmalerei besitzen, so präsentieren sie sich mit ihrer Betonung von Material und Raumwirkung doch immer auch als dreidimensionale Objekte und besitzen als solche einen skulpturalen Bezug; im Großformat weiten sie sich sogar zu veritablen Rauminstallationen.
But if the viewer moves and changes his point of view, he recognizes that the canvas is thicker at the top than at the bottom and the character of the rectangle becomes questionable.
The use of color in her objects is an integral part of her productions, mostly she uses different shades of Red tones that radiate intensively into the surrounding space.
Rita Rohlhfing uses this basic knowledge to design her spatial installations in such a way that the visitor experiences irritations, perspectives are altered, and the rooms appear larger, higher, narrower, or even disappear altogether, using both acute and blunt angles.
(In German "Räume sind für Rita Rohlfing nicht mehr nur Spiegelfläche und virtuelle Erweiterungen ihrer Arbeiten, die Besetzung des Realraums verbunden mit der Erzeugung von Farbräumen ist Teil ihres künstlerischen Konzeptes geworden.
A further 3 meters away was another row of aluminium panels, which were suspended from the ceiling and monochrome painted in various "states of red": Pure Vermilion, Orange and pink radiated into the surrounding environment: "The painted alumium plates seem to float in the room, and are blurred into diffuse 'air tones' through reflections in the plexiglas.
Es entwickelt sich eine Gesamtskulptur, durch die der Betrachter sich bewegt und die sich im Abschreiten der unterschiedlichen Raumwerte immer wieder nu konstituiert und im Raum gleichsam die Farbe Rot wie einen roten Nebel, wie einen Schleier, eben wie einen Luftton erfahrbar macht.
As a result of these interventions, the space suddenly appears constricted, the viewer locked up in the eight narrow passages provided – they determine the direction of the steps.
(in German "Die Sinne des Durchschreitenden, sowohl seine optische Wahrnehmung als auch ihre Beeinflussung durch sein psychisches Gesamtempfinden, werden durch diese linearen Lenkungen oder Verunklärungen des Blicks aktiviert und zu subjektiven Assoziationen gereizt.
At the edges they were framed with aluminium panels and the upper side was covered with PVC film, which glowed reddish from the depth.
On the one hand, the room was given a simple sobriety by the rectangular shape of the floor objects and the metallic appearance of the aluminium panels.
Objects, installations, photographs and a projection were used: "The artist, who has been living in Cologne for a long time, makes the museum dance with her very different spatial situations."
(in German "Die seit langem in Köln beheimatete Künstlerin bringt das Museum mit seinen ganz unterschiedlichen Raumsituationen zum Tanzen.
[18] This overlay of the massive staircase with the small structures and lines of the projection counteracts the heaviness of the staircase: "By means of this specific intervention, Rita Rohlfing has seemingly – that is, virtually – contrived a visual interplay of lightweight and heavy, near and far, large and small, an effect that unfolds between reality and projection, between surrounding space and artwork."
")[19] The "untitled spaces" attached to the wall also have an effect, objects made of matted acrylic glass cases inside of which there are colored form elements which are not exactly recognizable and which radiate into the room.
On the contrary, borders between inside and outside become almost permeable membranes as in the installation in the garden hall; the wall objects shine in the most varied colors, but the visitor cannot be sure where the light comes from, since the matte acrylglas makes it impossible for him to see through them; the photographed objects do not reveal themselves to him in the photographs, no matter how close he looks at them: Everything in this exhibition breathes mystery and enigma and thus stimulates reflection on one's own perception: "In her works, she reflects the fact that we live in a present age that is enormously complex and, in its many aspects, has become incomprehensible."