Since early July, visual artist David Behrens has been a guest at the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel Artists’ and Fellowship House. During his stay, which will last several months, he will continue to develop his artistic practice, which explores clothing fabrics and bodies.
At the center of his project is his ongoing series *imprints*. In this series, Behrens explores the material and physical properties of denim fabrics, which he transforms into monochrome pictorial surfaces through mechanical and chemical processes—including sanding, bleaching, and cyanotype. The fabrics function simultaneously as a support, a tool, and paint, operating at the intersection of drawing and painting.
Another focus of his work is an exploration of the relationship between the body and clothing. The starting point for his works are casts of human bodies, whose three-dimensional structures he transfers onto textile surfaces. He achieves this, among other ways, through the photographic technique of cyanotype. Since the textile objects are worn directly on the body during the exposure process, the body, material, and light enter into a direct dialogue and become part of an artistic process
that raises questions about memory, identity, and materiality.
To develop his artworks, he uses the method of prototyping, or as David Behrens explains his approach: “For me, it’s about trying out a lot of things. Every prototype is a step forward—even if it initially looks like a failure. Because it is precisely in failure that the most exciting ideas often lie.”
His residency at the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel Artists’ and Fellows’ House offers David Behrens the opportunity to further develop his material-oriented artistic practice: “For my residency at the Artists’ and Fellows’ House, I bought a sewing machine again. With it, I’m building on my early days studying fashion design and revisiting a medium that has shaped my artistic vision from the very beginning. Using various types of clothing fabrics, I aim to develop both two-dimensional
and three-dimensional works that explore the boundaries between textiles, sculpture, and painting.”
David Behrens (l.) demonstriert Antje Schwesig die Vorgehensweise seiner Arbeiten mit Textilien_@AMK
Im Künstlercafé am 17. September 2026 können Sie erfahren, welche dieser Ideen David Behrens umgesetzt hat. Also, merken Sie sich diese Veranstaltung gern schon einmal in Ihrem Terminkalender vor. @_AMK
Mehr zu David Behrens finden Sie auf seiner Webseite: https://www.david-behrens.de/
