The world feels like a divide - a crossroads of rupture and longing. My work tends to both paths. One path is shaped by feminist rage, despair, and the aching grief for our earth, for each other, and for all who are marginalized. The other path carries a soft resistance: tenderness, longing, and a quiet magic. Like harbingers from another realm, sculptural objects and performative gestures attend to a fragmented world trying to heal.

I resist singularity. My practice spans video performance, installation, and object-based work, guided by process and instinct. I use cinematic, symbolic forms - color and shape -and translate raw, fleeting moments into visual languages that speak directly, yet hold deeper metaphorical weight. Whether I lie in a bed of stones, swing a colorful flag at the beach, or send lashes to strangers to make a wish upon, each gesture becomes a small offering, both personal and collective.

The symbolic lexicon I have built throughout my work creates bridges - connecting across differences and opening dialogue. I am able to engage deeply with many interconnected “-isms” - feminism, anti-racism, environmentalism, and beyond. These are not separate ideas but parts of one whole, shaping how my art translates the world. My feminism is deeply intersectional, recognizing how these struggles overlap and intertwine. The conversations sparked - the shared recognition of rage and hope - are at the heart of my practice.

Two themes echo through my work: Don’t kill your tender heart and Il patriarcato è finito (patriarchy is over).

What is rage? What is love? What is grief? These questions unfold in pieces like State of Woman and Stones of Gaia, always rooted in natural environments. The harbingers - magical objects, mobiles, garments, flags, tents - are always grounded in our world pathology. That is why I perform outdoors, often using natural materials like bamboo sticks, stones, sand, and mud, weaving the magical with the earthly.

We move through the world believing our stories are alone. Yet longing, loss, hope, grief, and love are shared patterns - universal and chemical. This truth is what my work carries.

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” - Arundhati Roy

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Joana Bernd (1994) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Germany, exploring themes of vulnerability, identity, and the human experience. Her artistic practice encompasses various mediums, including installations and performances, aiming to create accessible art that resonates on a personal level. Bernd's work often reflects an intersectional feminist perspective, emphasizing the interconnectedness of emotional and ecological issues. Her work has been exhibited in various European cities, such as Berlin, Barcelona, and London.