DGA Faces #08 Babette Berndt

Babette Berndt will open her exhibition »Wild Mix« on November 1st at Druckgraphik Atelier. The vernissage starts at 3pm.

About the artist

After graduating from high school, I began pursuing two paths simultaneously: I studied biology, among other subjects, and at the same time took intensive painting lessons for several years.
Due to my profession, I work with animals a lot. This also influences my choice of motifs, as I have a deep affinity for animals and often have opportunities for impressive encounters with them.
In my free time, I sketch and print what I love, what impresses me.
This dual approach continues to this day, only the artistic medium has changed.

How did the title »Wild Mix« come about?

When it comes to choosing motifs and printing techniques, I don’t have a fixed approach.
I enjoy meeting people and animals in particular, or marveling at landscapes.
I often capture these moments initially with simple sketches or photos. Later, details are omitted or emphasized to create the final template for the printing plates.

What fascinates you about Printing?

Each printing plate is often preceded by long design processes involving numerous sketches, which sometimes wait a long time to be transformed into a print using the right technique at the right moment.
Different printing techniques allow me to work sometimes more spontaneously, sometimes more methodically. So I don’t want to commit myself to one technique when working, but have also discovered aquatint and lithography alongside drypoint etchings and woodcuts.
When printing, the haptic experience is particularly important to me, both when producing the printing plates and when working with the colors and printing presses.
Depending on the color and technique, a single printing plate can produce very different images.

What inspires you? Do you have sources you would like to share?

The motifs arise quite naturally for me through moments and encounters that impress me.
There is no planned selection of motifs. I try to establish a connection with them and also to perceive the beauty of situations that initially appear unspectacular.
However, I was particularly fascinated by the beauty of the Swedish Arctic with its people and animals. The light there in winter is often white and blue with incredible intensity.

What artists do you find particularly interesting?

I was deeply impressed by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff’s powerful and lively woodcuts, which often show details that are easily overlooked in everyday life.
But in general, the prints and paintings of the Berlin KG Brücke are also a recurring source of inspiration for me.

In the series »DGA Faces« we gradually introduce the artists working here. In this way, we share the concentrated printing knowledge of the studio with you digitally too!