Artist Statement
My work is rooted in an exploration of traditional textile techniques and natural and reclaimed fibres.
Fabric remnants, each carrying their own history, are dyed with plant-based pigments, torn, cut, and brought together through patchwork techniques to form new compositions. Naturally dyed ropes and fibres made from reclaimed materials such as cotton, linen, silk, and agave are woven and knotted into geometric wall pieces.
My practice engages with the histories of textile materials and the people who have shaped their production across generations. I am interested in how hierarchies based on gender and origin have contributed to the systematic devaluation of textile labour. At the same time, I explore the regenerative and spiritual potential of nature. Plant-based dyes imbue discarded textiles with new qualities, transforming materials destined for waste into vessels of renewal, care, and healing.
Bio
Dörte Bundt is a Berlin-based textile artist born in Stralsund, Germany in 1983. Since 2009, she has lived and worked in Berlin, developing a practice rooted in textile techniques, material exploration, and the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art.
Originally trained as a jewelry designer in Sydney, Bundt expanded her practice in 2015 through independent research and experimentation with macramé, weaving, Korean Jogakbo patchwork, and plant-based dyeing. Dörte has deepened her knowledge in residencies in Mexico and Italy, where she learned about the origins of weaving and natural dyes from master artisans, reflecting an ongoing curiosity about materials, techniques, and their artistic possibilities.
Her practice extends beyond the studio through exhibitions, artist residencies, and workshops across Europe, Mexico, and the United States.
photo: Jaclyn Locke