13.01.2026 | Press release by bbk berlin: The printing workshop's range of services is being expanded to include papermaking techniques!
Positive news at the start of the year for bbk berlin and its subsidiary kulturwerk
The integration of the paper workshop into the print workshop broadens the spectrum of artistic techniques and professional opportunities available. Politically advocated for and promoted since 2024, the project was implemented by the Senate at the last minute before the end of 2025, in close cooperation with the management of bbk berlin, Wibke Behrens, and the workshop.
The print workshop is of unique global significance as an affordable production site for visual artists and for its continued engagement with the highly relevant artistic process of printmaking. Thanks to the support of the State of Berlin, from January 2026 this will also include the paper workshop, which was founded over 30 years ago by papermaker Gangolf Ulbricht.
This expansion will create an additional and much-needed resource for visual artists in Berlin, further strengthening the print workshop’s position as an important production site.
The paper workshop within the print workshop at the bbk berlin kulturwerk complements the existing diversity of artistic forms of expression and opportunities for cross-media practice. These range from analog black-and-white photo labs to letterpress printing, cyanotype, digital printing, relief printing, laser milling, lithography, offset printing, photogravure, risography, screen printing, classic intaglio printing - and now the art of papermaking. This expansion represents a significant enrichment that further enhances the diversity of artistic expression. The growing demand for cross-media work confirms that these classic and contemporary techniques constitute an important field within contemporary visual art.
Techniques and Workshops for Professional Development
The paper workshop will also provide expert enrichment to the mission of the unique individual workshops of the kulturwerk of bbk berlin and support professional artists in the field of artistic paper production. This includes an introduction to paper production and work processes, access to and use of the workshop, operation of machines and equipment, as well as an introduction to handmade paper production, including scooping, dipping, pressing, laying, drying, and smoothing. In addition to individual artistic work, workshops in papermaking will also be offered in cooperation with the bildungswerk of bbk berlin.
Wibke Behrens, Managing Director of bbk berlin and its subsidiaries, states: “We are looking forward to this outstanding further development of the print workshop and to the artistic works that will emerge from the paper workshop!”
Frauke Boggasch und Birgit Cauer,
Spokespersons bbk berlin