Ingrid Bertel was born in Eberswalde (Brandenburg) in 1949. From 1968 to 1972 she studied at the University of Economics, East Berlin. Since 1990 she has been involved in the discovery and development of unused industrial wastelands, such as a disused factory site in Berlin-Köpenick. In this process she expanded her means of artistic expression to include performance and installations. Bertel lives and works in Berlin.