–   Interview with Christine Gendre-Bergère, Print Artist –　

 

Erika Tsuchiya　

 

 

It was with The True Tale of Cinderella that I first came to know the work of Christine Gendre-Bergère, print artist, through a friend of mine in London.  In the frames below on the left, we see a familiar sight of Cinderella in rags and tears. As opposed to the fairytale version of Cinderella we know – the fairy godmother and her magic wand, the glass slipper, the Prince that saves her from her tattered life, Gendre-Bergère adds a feminist twist with sense of humour.  In the next frame, we see Cinderella with scattering rats in the foreground, as she straddles a large pumpkin clutching a carving knife, doing-it-herself.  Gendre-Bergère illustrates her Cinderella as a strong woman, capable of overcoming her hardship with her own will and two hands.  What makes this piece even more remarkable is that it is completely handmade, each frame pressed in stiff, folded paper and bound together with a string.  With a beautiful, robust and independent version of our childhood princess woven into a graceful book, I was keen on seeing more of her works, and was led to visiting her studio in Paris.   
 

  　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        Two frames from The True Tale of Cinderella, 2005


Interview

 

Tucked away in one of many dusty, cobble stone pathways, Gendre-Bergère’s printing press fit cosily into a garage-turned-workshop in her home near Père Lachaise cemetery in the 20th Parisian quarter. She had numerous prints hanging on a wire strung across the large sliding glass doors of her studio, and on the walls of her home. In a modern conversion of a former warehouse, there was a corner section upstairs where Gendre-Bergère does her drawing and etching part of her job. She showed me the various pointy metal tools she uses to scrape the fine lines into the copper plates.

 

ET: What do you enjoy most about printmaking?

 

CGB: “I like printmaking as it allows me to alternate between creating and printing – the engraving of metal plates - the drawing part, and manual labour of the printing press - the distinct smell of the ink.  The press itself has a special part in the resulting creation, allowing flexibility in the densities of blacks, and whether to retain a light texture or not.  There is also a repetitive gesture when making large prints, which can feel very ‘zen.’”

 

ET: When did you start printmaking?

 

CGB: “I started small-format printmaking in 1997 – previous to that, I worked on illustrations in ink.”

 

She pulled out a full-size colour poster, on which was written, “What types of careers for women? ALL!”  The vibrant fonts were arranged around drawings of women holding up their broad arms, tools in hand. Gendre-Bergère’s prints are like stories. They are often in a series of different characters and settings - passengers sleeping on their luggage in JFK airport due to the electrical blackout, native-American monuments in Mexico, and portrayals of caricatures with berets and bicycles, in which we get a homely feel of French landscapes.

 

ET: You seem to incorporate a lot of political and social messages in your art work, what are some of your inspirations?

 

CGB: “I draw my inspirations from two main sources, which are literature, and everyday life and the social.  For example, I edited an artist’s book based on a novel by Samuel Beckett, Molloy, in which I created a series of etchings.  “Les mots de la fin” (the concluding words), is an illustration of the last phrase of five novels which vary greatly in text, but brought together by the unifying theme of the main character being a woman.  The other is ‘everyday life and the social,’ with humour and a touch of noir, in the tradition of early printmakers such as Goya and Daumier.  For example, L’avenir est Radieux, (The Future is Bright,) is an alphabet book of vowels.  “A for Aviaire (Avian flu), O for Ozone, etc.” 

 

Two frames from this series are shown below, where Gendre-Bergère creates a whimsical depiction of the late Avian flu scare – a miniature frame crammed with unruly roosters, trimmed with proud crimson red crowns, which in the next frame turns into a pile of bony skeletal figures as the ‘poultry reaper’ descends into the picture.

Two frames from The Future is Bright

 

Gendre-Bergère is currently working on a series in commemoration of Samuel Beckett’s 100 year anniversary, based on short stories by Beckett.  These prints are to be exhibited in December 2006 at the gallery of a Parisian bookshop, “Le Merle Moqueur.”

 

Gendre-Bergère’s prints have been exhibited in various locations all over France, and have travelled as far as Osaka, Japan (May 2004), and Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. She holds an annual open-workshop in the Parisian tradition for local artists, when the general public and enthusiasts have the opportunity to roam the streets visiting studios of local artists.

 

For further information and inquiries on the artist and her works, please visit her website: www.cgb-gravure.com or contact Erika Tsuchiya, through WJWN at info@wjwn.org.  All images are copyright of the artist.




 

Erika Tsuchiya is studying Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.  She is the photo editor of the school magazine, SOAS Spirit, and writes the Artist Spotlight, a regular column featuring artists and musicians worldwide. She has also had fine art education in various art schools in Rhode Island, London, and Paris.  Her interests include drawing, painting, photography, music, and travelling.

 


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