Kathi Kæppel (*1977 in Heidelberg) studied Visual Communication at the weißensee kunsthochschule berlin (Prof. Nanne Meyer) and Animation at the University for the Creative Arts, UK (Prof. Suzanne Buchan).
Kathi Kæppel has exhibited internationally and has received numerous awards, grants, film and project funding, including scholarships from the DAAD, Fulbright and the Freedom Foundation. Selected exhibitions and film festivals include: the Biennale of Animation Bratislava, SK; Edinburgh International Film Festival, UK; interfilm Berlin, DE; International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, DE; Les Rencontres Internationales, F; sehsüchte, Berlin, DE; WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, USA; Backup-Festival, DE; Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, DE; Künstlerhaus Dortmund, DE; Galerie Berliner Kunstprojekt, DE; Galerie Parterre Berlin, DE. Her animated films have been included in the BFI National Archive. Since 2009 she has been a jury member of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film. She is a member of the Society for Animation Studies (SAS), the AG Animation as part of the Society for Media Studies, and the European Network for Cinema and Media Studies (NECS).
Kathi Kæppel’s artistic practice and research explores contemporary and future issues in animation, including the relationship between visual narrative and viewer perception, the evolution of storytelling techniques, the potential of materiality in animation, and the experimental use of both traditional and digital animation methods. Her conceptual approach results in the creation of spatial, time-based artworks that unfold across multiple scales in virtual and physical space.
Kathi Kæppel is pursuing a Ph.D. in Scientific-Artistic Research at the Filmuniversitaet Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. From 2019 to 2023, Kathi Kæppel was a member of the Visual Narrative Research Group at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, working on the interdisciplinary research project “Moving in Every Direction – Artistic Research as a Contribution to the Development of Current Spatial Configurations for the Moving Image”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
From 2007 to 2014 she has taught at the at the weißensee kunsthochschule, the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, the Kunsthochschule Kassel, the Universität der Künste Berlin and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, among others. From 2014 to 2018 Kathi Kæppel was a Visiting Professor at the weißensee kunsthochschule berlin. In 2022 she was appointed a full Professor at the Trier University of Applied Sciences. From 2022 to 2024 she taught as Visiting Professor for Moving Image at the Universität der Künste Berlin.
In April 2024 she was appointed as Professor for Moving Image at the Folkwang University of the Arts.
CV
1977 born in Heidelberg, Germany
lives and works between Berlin and Frankfurt a. M., Germany
2002 Bachelor of Arts, University for the Creative Arts, UK with Suzanne Buchan
2004 Diploma, weißensee kunsthochschule berlin with Nanne Meyer
Since 2018 PhD Candidate Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
2024 Professor, Folkwang Universität der Künste Berlin
2022-2024 Visiting Professor, Universität der Künste Berlin
Summer 2022 Professorship, Trier University of Applied Sciences
Since 01/2019 Artistic Researcher, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Lucerne, CH
2014–2018 Visiting Professor, weißensee kunsthochschule berlin
Summer 2017 Lecturer, Universität der Künste Berlin
2009–2021 Jury member, curator, Internationales Trickfilm–Festival Stuttgart
2008-2010 Lecturer, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle
2007-2014 Lecturer, weißensee kunsthochschule berlin
1999–2005 Co-Founder, monogatari, Berlin
GRANTS / AWARDS
2021 Neustart Stipendium, Stiftung Kulturwerk
Brückenstipendium, Hessische Kulturstiftung, project Le Devenir
2020 Project funding Kulturamt Frankfurt aM, project Virgin soil
Project funding Kulturamt Frankfurt aM, project Vestige
Project funding Schweizerischer Nationalfonds, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, research project Moving in Every Direction
Project funding Hessenfilm, project Amber
1. price, Kunst am Bau, Münsterplatz, Mainz
Artist Grant »Hessen kulturell neu eröffnen«, Hessische Kulturstiftung, project Vestige
Project funding Kulturamt Frankfurt aM, project The Lonesome Tree
2019 Fellowship Stiftung Freiheit
2017 Bronze Award, Kommunikation im Raum, adc Deutschland
German Design Award, Rat für Formgebung
2014-2018 BCP Fellowship Berliner Senat
2011 Award, Communication Arts
2009 Award, 1st prize, Team Bank, Nürnberg
2004 Fellowship Fulbright
Echo Award, video national
Award, 200 best illustrators worldwide, Luerzers Archive
2003 Gold Award, Experimental film & video Remi awards, The Houston International Film Fest
Silber Award, The Society of Korea Illusart
Animation Award, sehsuechte, international student film festival
Award, annual multimedia
Jury Award, shorts-welcome
2002 Award, 1st prize, backup, weimar
2001 Fellowship DAAD
Award, Best animated series, berlin beta film festival
Nomination, Max & Moritz Award, International Comic Salon