Anna Berndtson

Anna Berndtson (born 1972) in Malmö, Sweden, is a performance artist.

Biography

Anna Berndtson attended Dartington College of Arts in England 1996-1999, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, then studied performance at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Braunschweig from 2001-2005, here she graduated with a Diplom (equal to an M.F.A.) in Visual Arts. Anna Berndtson has taught Performance Art, among others at Fachhochschule Ottersberg and in the Sverigefinska folkhögskolan, Haparanda.

Career

Berndtson began her artistic career in the late 1990s. She incorporates her own body into her art, for example in her performance piece "Churned", where she immersed herself in a tub of cream, which she over several hours churns into butter. Berndtson works mainly with Long Duration Live Performance but has since the mid 2000s also started to produce photography and video work.

2003 Anna Berndtson co-funded the Swedish/German performance duo (TBL) TallBlondLadies, together with her collaborative partner Irina Runge. The duo works with gender and female clichés.

Exhibitions and awards

Anna Berndtson has performed and exhibited work, amongst others, at; Bergmancenter, Fårö, Liljevalchs, Stockholm, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, The LAB Gallery, Dublin, Artists Space, New York, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, MoMA PS1 i New York, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and VV2 at the Venice Biennale.

In 2006 she was awarded the Künstlerhäuser Worpswede Artist-in-Residence grant as well as the grant from Aase och Richard Björklunds fond. In 2007 and 2010 – 2011 she got the work grant from Konstnärsnämnden in Sweden and in 2010 she received the Fire Station Artists' Studios and Arts & Disability Ireland Studio Award. In 2012 she spent 3 months at the Artist-in-Residency Program at Nordic Artists' Centre Dalsåsen, Norway. During 2013 she accepted the invitation of a residency at the Bergman Estate on Fårö in Sweden.

She is a member of Abramovic Foundation founded by Marina Abramovic in 2008.

Education

  • 1994 - 1996, BTEC in Performing Art at the City of Bath College, Bath, UK. Here she in 1996 received the "Student of the year award".
  • 1996 - 1999, BA (Honours) Degree in Theater at Dartington College of Arts, Dartington, UK
  • 1998 - 1999, acting at Hochschule der Künste, Berlin, Germany as well as scenography at Kunsthochschule für Gestaltung, Weissensee, Berlin, Germany
  • 2001 - 2005, Performance, Diplom in Fine Arts by Professor Marina Abramovic at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste i Braunschweig, Germany.

References