We interviewed Ulrike Behrendt in our publication “Abstracted” surround the concept of abstract. Visit the publication here.
Growing up in Berlin during the socialist dictatorship gave you a sense of the power of words. How do you see these experiences portrayed and reflected within your practice today?
Almost all of my paintings include layers of text in English or German. Very often, they are deliberately illegible. For me, it is more important that these messages to me and the viewer are made than understood. This probably stems from a fear of being ‘found out’ and scrutinised for the correct meaning of my words. Subtext becomes an aesthetic layer.
In your work, you combine the accidental with the intentional- could you explain your process for achieving this and what does it add to the work?
My paintings develop through an interchange of random applications of colour or text without focusing on an outcome and carefully selecting areas to keep. This process is repeated until a composition evolves with bold shapes visible from afar and minute details that invite closer inspection.
How does colour play into your themes, and what effect do you hope that colour has on the viewers?
Strong, intense colours are very important to my paintings. My mind lights up when using them, and I hope something similar happens to the viewer to spark an interest in the painting.
How do you hope that viewers will engage with or interpret your artwork?
I hope that my paintings draw the viewer in and are inviting enough to allow them to spend time with them, find their own interpretation, and maybe brighten up the day a bit.
Where do you see your practice evolving in the future? Do you have any projects upcoming that you would like to talk about?
I am still beginning to find my visual language, but I want to make my practice more reflective of how I experience the world around me.