David Gross
grossartig isn’t meant to be an expression of delusions of grandeur. But what else would you call a website when your surname is Groß and your work has so much to do with art?
David Groß is a filmmaker, chef, TV journalist, author and artivist (artist + activist).
David is currently touring the German-speaking countries with his live shows.
His award-winning show Tonnenweise Abenteuer is coming to North Rhine-Westphalia in autumn 2026 – in cooperation with GRENZGANG and Greenpeace.
His second show, Roadtrip Japan, will begin touring in January 2027 – including an appearance at MUNDOLOGIA in Freiburg and another tour through North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with GRENZGANG.
Alongside his live-show tours, David Groß is writing a book about Japan, scheduled for publication in autumn 2027.
Since 2024, David Groß has performed as a speaker and storyteller throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. His first show, Tonnenweise Abenteuer, won the “Best Story” award at the Discovery Days 2025.
In 2020, his new cinema documentary Mottainai Kitchen premiered in Japan. The film has since been shown in numerous Japanese cinemas and at international film festivals.
In January 2017, the official cinema premiere of his Wastecooking documentary took place in Tokyo. The second season of Wastecooking-Europareise, an Arte/SWR/ORF co-production, was shown on TV in spring 2017.
David Gross’s artivism project refugee.tv was brought to life in the fall of 2016. refugee.tv is the first TV show in Europe run by refugees.
Since 2003, David has been making experimental documentaries that can be seen in cinemas and at festivals. Some of his best-known productions include Holy Waters (2011), Pharao Bipolar (2008), Reisen im eigenen Zimmer (2006), and Stellvertretend in den Tod (2003).
In 2006 David Gross began his career as a TV presenter. His successful series Gross am Land spanned 260 episodes and ran on TV for six years. As part of his Wastecooking transmedia project David appears as a TV presenter, dumpster diver and cooking activist.
He has been awarded numerous prizes for his artistic works. Most recently his Wastecooking documentary won four international awards including the NaturVision 2016 German Conservation and Sustainability Film Award.
David Gross was born and raised in Salzburg, Austria. He completed culinary training before studying theater in Vienna and journalism in Krems.
David is the proud father of two wonderful daughters.
David Groß has been married to Japanese activist Aiko Groß-Kakehashi since 2018. The two live half the year on the island of Kyushu (southern Japan).