Katrin Bernhardt

Katrin Bernhardt is a visual artist and writer based in Austria. She studied Classical Archaeology and Philosophy with a focus on Gender Studies at the University of Vienna, where she earned her doctorate in 2013. Alongside her academic career, she was a founding member, singer, and lyricist of the metal band Xenesthis.

As a visual artist, she works with various media exploring themes of ritual, death, and gender. She reinterprets prehistoric and ancient rites, bringing them into a contemporary context. Another major focus of her work is a deep engagement with femininity, corporeality, and societal role assignments. Her practice includes installations, performances, interactive experiments, and painting in acrylic and mixed media—sometimes using menstrual blood. She places a particual emphasis on art in public spaces.

As a writer, she publishes poetry, prose, and self-illustrated children’s books with Austrian publishers, and is a member of PEN-Club Austria and the Austrian Writers’ Association.

Katrin Bernhardt has participated in international symposia and has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in Austria and abroad. She has received multiple grants, project funding, and awards for her artistic work.

VISUAL ARTS

Grants, fundings & nominations

2025 Artist Mobility, federal state of Burgenland
2024 Project funding for „Oh my Goddess!“, MOST/4-festival 2025
2024 Working grant for illustration for picture book, Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
2024 Artist Mobility, federal state of Burgenland
2023 Project funding for „Anhydros“, INDUSTRIE/4-festival 2024
2022 Working grant for illustration, picture book „Dori Dachs ist heute faul“, Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
2022 Award for Fine Arts 2022, federal state of Burgenland, shortlist
2022 Compass Festival, Leeds / UK, shortlist
2021 Project funding for the interactive experimental arrangement „Das letzte Hemd hat viele Taschen“, Viertelfestival NÖ 2022

Exhibitions and art projects in public space

2025 Das letzte Hemd hat viele Taschen, Hochschulgalerie, PH Steiermark, Graz / A
2025 Adoration 2.0, St. Wolfgang-Kirche Kanning / A (solo)
2025 Arrival of the Goddesses, Oktaeder [LAND]UNG, Sigleß / A
2025 Oh my Goddess!, installation in public space, Hohenberg / A (solo)
2024 Das letzte Hemd hat viele Taschen, Blau-Gelbe Viertelsgalerie, Schloss Fischau / A (solo)
2024 X-press, Artist Village Neumarkt an der Raab / A
2024 X-press, Gallery of the federal state of Burgenland, Eisenstadt / A
2024 X-press, Designforum Austria, MQ, Vienna / A
2024 Erster KUNSTMaRKT, Hauptplatz, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A
2024 Kunst im Bad, Thermal bath of Bad Fischau-Brunn / A
2024 Verstecktes Herz, INDUSTRIE/4-Festival, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A
2024 Sveta, art installation, Domačija Pr‘ Lenart / SLO (solo)
2024 Anhydros, installation, exhibition, and reading in public space, Brunn / A (solo)
2024 Sakrileg, POP-up Gallery, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A (solo)
2024 4th International Art Exposition, ISHII Gallery, Varanasi / IND
2023 Lower Austria Open Studio Days, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A (solo)
2023 Archive of Oblivion, eu-art-network, exhibition hall Neues Rathaus, Bayreuth / D
2023 Archive of Oblivion, eu-art-network, „Small is beautiful“, Galerie im Seehof, Freistadt Rust /A
2023 Naos, Heizhaus, thermal baths, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A (solo)
2022 Award for Fine Arts 2022, Cultural Centre Mattersburg / A
2022 Lower Austrian Open Studio Days, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A (solo)
2022 Das letzte Hemd hat viele Taschen, Brick Museum Ziersdorf /A (solo)
2022 Open Studio, Domus Artium, Paliano / IT
2022 Finde die Frau, Ordination Dr. Winhofer-Stöckl, Mattersburg / A (solo)
2022 Lockdown, FORUM Bad Fischau-Brunn, Schloss Fischau, Bad Fischau-Brunn / A
2022 Das letzte Hemd hat viele Taschen, Schloss Jedenspeigen / A (solo)
2012 Kunstspinne, NN-fabrik, Oslip / A
2010 schik IV – Family, schikaneder, Vienna / A

Symposia & Artist Residencies

2024 Artist in Residence, Domačija Pr‘ Lenart, Belo / SLO
2024 International Art Symposium, Ram Chhatpar Shilp Nyas India, Varanasi / IND
2023 eu-art-network, 23rd International Art Symposium, Freistadt Rust / A

Memberships

Kulturvernetzung NÖ, IG Bildende Kunst, Bildrecht

LITERATURE

Prizes, grants & nominations

2025 Grand Art Scholarship of the State of Burgenland
2025 Writer in Residence, Casa Litterarum of the Austrian Society for Literature, Paliano / Italy,
Travel grant of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
2024 Working grant for illustration for picture book, Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
2024 Working grant Literature, Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
2024 book prize 3 x 7, nomination for „Dori Dachs ist heute faul“
2023 Working grant for literature, federal state of Burgenland
2022 Working grant for illustration, picture book „Dori Dachs ist heute faul“, Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
2022 Artist in Residence, Domus Artium, Paliano / Italy, federal state of Burgenland
2005 FM4 Wortlaut, Nomination for longlist (top 3 %), Pseudonym Sarah Sinreich
2000 Youth Culture Prize, federal state of Burgenland
1998 Prize for Literature and Journalism, Theodor Kery-Burgenland Foundation
1997 Prize of the Youth Literature Competition, federal state of Burgenland

Publications

Monographs

„Dori Dachs sucht ihre Farbe“, picture book, Innsalz, autumn 2025.
„Fremdwerden“, poetry, edition lex liszt 12, 2024.
„Dori Dachs is heute faul“, picture book, Innsalz, 2024.
„Aufbrechen“, poetry, edition lex liszt 12, 2020.
„Auf bittere Haut geschrieben“, poetry, edition lex liszt 12, 2013.
„Die Gesichtslosen“, short stories, Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, 2000.
„Fluchtplan lebt nicht mehr“, poetry, Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, 1998.
„Fallen ohne Aufprall“, poetry, self-published, 1995.

in anthologies, magazines, on the radio, and the internet (selection)

Acrostic Give peace a Chance „Granatwerfer am Morgen“, literaturoutdoors.com, 2023.
Poesiegalerie.at, several poems, 2020-2023.
Journal of the Austrian Writers‘ Association, 2022, pp. 12-18.
literaturhaus.at and literaturhausnö.at, campaign „Stimmen gegen den Krieg“, 2022.
ORF, Radio Burgenland, program „Extra – Art and Culture“, 26/11/2020.
Journal of the Austrian Writers‘ Association, 2021, pp. 118-119.
R. Prosser, Ch: Szalay (eds.), wo warn wir? ach ja: Junge Österreichische Gegenwartslyrik, Limbus, 2019.
Bibliothek deutschsprachiger Gedichte (ed.), Selected Works XXII, 2019.
ORF, Ö1, Nachtbilder, 2018.
Lichtungen – Journal for Literature, Art and Contemporary Criticism No. 151/XXXVIII, 2017.
Burgenland Regional School Board (ed.), „Lesen ab 10. Gedankenplätze. Ein burgenländisches Lesebuch für Schülerinnen und Schüler der Mittelstufe“, edition lex liszt 12, 2017.
„Fremde Nähe – Stimmen zu Grenzen, Flucht und Krieg“. A musical-literary audiobook. Concept & composition: Mirjam Mikacs, edition lex liszt 12, 2016.
Bibliothek deutschsprachiger Gedichte (ed.), Selected Works XVII, 2014.
Harald Pesata (ed.), „5-er Edition. Literatur aus Margareten „, Verlagshaus Hernals, 2012.
H. Horvath, P. Mühlbauer (Hrsg.), „Frische Fische 1“, Verlag edition lex liszt 12, 2012.
Ö1, „Konglomerat einer verlorenen Zukunft“, 2005.
Ö1, „Vom Rand in die Mitte“, on the occasion of the EU enlargement, 2004.
Literaturhaus Mattersburg (Hrsg.), „Schriftbilder. Portraits und Texte aus dem Burgenland, Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, 2000.

Participation in Symposia & Residencies

04/2025 Writer in Residence, Casa Litterarum, Paliano / IT
2024 Artist in Residence, Domačija Pr‘ Lenart, Belo / SLO
2023 eu-art-network, 23rd International Art Symposium, Freistadt Rust / A
2022 Artist in Residence, Domus Artium, Paliano / IT

Musical settings

2001 Song composition „Wenn ich einmal …“ by Bernhard Macheiner based on a poem from the poetry collection „Fluchtplan lebt nicht mehr“.

Memberships

PEN-Club Austria, Austrian Writers‘ Association, IG Autorinnen Autoren, Literar-Mechana

MUSIC

2004-2013 Founding member, singer, and lyricist of the metal band Xenesthis

Festival appearances and concerts in Austria (including the main stage of the Nova Rock Festival 2009), Germany, Slovenia and Italy

Numerous support shows for international acts, including Slayer, Slipknot, Trivium, Amon Amarth, Mastodon, Lacuna Coil, Disturbed, As I Lay Dying, Sonic Syndicate, Deathstars, Neaera, Ektomorf, Caliban, As We Fight, Do Or Die, Cataract, Sworn Enemy, J.B.O., Die Apokalytischen Reiter, Pain

Reviews and interviews in national and international print and online magazines

Music video „Reflections“ with over 290,000 views on YouTube

Releases

2011 “Thou shalt not”, LP, Come Clean Records
2010 “Chaos”, EP
2007 “Sick of pitch-black”, LP, noiseheadrecords
2006 “Shades”, EP
2006 “Straight to Infinity”, EP
2005 “Immanis”, EP