Meet the Maker: Gemma Berenguer (Monostereo)
My name is Gemma Berenguer and I'm from Barcelona. I'm a printmaker specialising in screen printing, although I also dabble in etching and block printing as well. I run Monostereo, a screen printing company in Barcelona, which has been operating for 15 years now.
I first discovered screen printing and other printmaking techniques during my time earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts at university – it was love at first sight! Trapped by the art form’s versatility, I experimented on many surfaces and with a range of graphic styles during my time as a student.
After college, I decided to continue my training at the Printers' Union. I then spent several years as a screen printing operator in a local industrial company.
However, I started to miss the artistic elements and the process I enjoyed within my own work, and the artistic side of screen printing in general. As a result, I started my own shop, 'Monostereo' back in 2008, alongside my partner Eledu (@eleduworks).
Monostereo is a commission-based service provider of the finest quality screen printed art prints, gig posters, vinyl and book covers, and other projects on flat surfaces. We also provide workshops and demonstrations at schools and various institutions.
I'm also part of the Speedball Professional Artist Network and a proud board member of The Poster Institute - a non-profit which promotes the subculture of gig posters and hosts the worldwide poster show 'FLATSTOCK'.
Describe your printmaking process.
When screen printing, we oversee the whole printing process in every project we work on. From assisting the artist to adapt their idea to the printing technique, to making the colour / layer separations, to sourcing the paper and best colours, including Pantone references in case we are adapting an original artwork.
Then we coat and expose the screens, prepare the inks, ready the paper, set up the screen printing bed... and then we print!
Making colours and matching Pantones is probably my favourite part of the process, even though I know a lot of printmakers who hate it! Colour theory is something that has always amazed me and I really enjoy getting through it.
How and where did you learn to print?
My first contact with screen printing was at the University of Barcelona, as well as etching and other printmaking techniques.
Resources available weren't the best, but I got so trapped by screen printing, especially by its versatility. In my last year of college, I took part in a Erasmus program at HKU in Utrecht, Netherlands; there, I made my final project based on screen printing. With this project, I fell in love with screen printing and pictured a future where I could be a printmaker.
Why printmaking?
In one word: versatility, especially if we talk about screen printing. Versatility in terms of surfaces and in terms of the range of graphic styles you can get.
I've always been interested in art (that's why I decided to study Fine Art) and I decided that I wanted to focus my professional career in an area related to art. But I soon realised that it would be very difficult to make a living from art, especially in Spain. That's why I decided that printmaking would be the right path for me.
Of course, I keep on making my own creations, but I've found way more confidence in myself as an artisan, rather than as an artist. I am a printmaker. Screen printing gives me a different approach when working within the art world, and the opportunity to work closely with great artists - all without exposing myself as a 'creative' who has to sell their own art.
By providing a service and printing another artists' commission, I've found a way in which my work is valued way more, rather than as a solo artist or creative who has to deal directly with the art market.
Where do you work?
I work from our studio, located in Sants, Barcelona. Sometimes I work 'Out of Office', doing screen printing workshops at schools or institutions within the Barcelona area. I also deliver workshops and demos as part of the Speedball Professional Artist Network, usually in Spain and other European cities.
Describe a typical day in your studio.
The day starts at 9am with coffee, and I'm afraid we never know when it's gonna end. Having your own small business is a never ending story, there's always something to do. So even if we try to schedule and organize everything (and trying to conciliate it with our personal lives), we always end up staying longer than we expected. We spend more time our at the studio than at home, that's why our cat Buster joins us sometimes too!
But something I love about my job is that everyday is different, as every project is different. We don't have a set routine, it's more the starting and finishing of a project and establishing its own specific needs.
How long have you been printmaking?
After I graduated and completed a postgraduate degree, I started as an apprentice at a company and stayed there for almost 3 years, so I could say I started working back in 2005. Next year will be 20 years printing, right? I should celebrate somehow!
What inspires you?
Mainly other artists; more specifically, other printmakers. Our studio walls are full of prints from other artists, mostly printmaking friends or people we admire.
Speaking of inspiration in more general terms, it might sound a bit cheesy but I would say that everything has to do with music, cinema, old pictures, cats, nature...
What is your favourite printmaking product?
It's difficult to name just one. Maybe it is not a 'product', but my screen printing bed is one of my favourites. Not sure if I would be here without it, it really changed the game for me. It is a Spanish-made Marprint H2 one arm press, 100cm x 70cm, parallel lift. We've got to know each other really well over the years and I absolutely adore it.
Talking strictly about products, I really like to print on paper with Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink, I found them easy to work with and the colours are so vibrant and highly pigmented. I'm especially obsessed with the Medium Red shade for paper, I use it all the time. The fluorescent and metallic shades are great too.
Also, their emulsion and sensitiser, along with their hinge clamps are top notch products for workshops.
What have you made that you are most proud of?
I'm mostly proud that I have made printmaking my way of living. Now that AI and tech is everywhere these days, we are losing the artisan ways so fast. I'm happy to be an artisan printmaker.
Also, I'd say the sense of gratitude I've found from working with other artists. Even if the creativity is not mine, I feel really fulfilled when we finish printing an edition, and the client is happy with the results. We are the last step between the idea and the final item, and that responsibility makes me take on the project as if it was my own.
In terms of specific projects, it's hard to say. It's been 15 years since we started Monostereo, and we've been involved in a lot of really nice projects over the years. We've made our own posters for some of our favourite musicians such as Lee Scratch Perry, Mulatu Astatke, Fatboy Slim and many more. We've also screen printed for many artists we admire like Luke Drozd, Aryz, Lil Tuffy, Dave Kloc and Richey Beckett - a few to name among a long list.
I've recently been invited by our dear friends Jacknife from Bristol, to exhibit our poster art at Glastonbury Festival - it was a dream come true!
I'd say that, more than proud, I'm thankful. Thankful to printmaking for giving me a path and a life full of amazing people and experiences.
Where can we see your work? Where do you sell?
www.monostereo.cat is our website and you can find our online store there. We are also on social media as @serigrafia_monostereo
When we are not printing, you can usually find us at any FLATSTOCK fair, showcasing alongside The Poster Institute. We also try to attend some other graphics fairs, mostly in the Barcelona area.
What will we be seeing from you next?
We've just designed and screen printed a gig poster for our beloved DJ Krush, and of course our annual collaboration with Fatboy Slim, which is coming up soon.
Also, next September we'll be at FLATSTOCK Hamburg during Reeperbahn Festival, and a bunch of new artists commissions are in the making as well.
Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives?
As my good friend and great printmaking artist Joris Diks says: "I'm ok with failure".
Every artisan process needs hours of practice, the craft is not acquired overnight. So, be ready to embrace your mistakes, learn from them and, most important: enjoy the process.
In October 2024, we are extremely lucky to be joined by Gemma Berenguer in our studio for a FREE workshop! Gemma will be providing an artist’s talk and live demonstrations in which participants can screen print their own T-shirt, tote or tea towel! Click here to find out more and book your place.