Nationality: South African
Bate of Birth: 14.02.1968
INSPIRATIONS/MENTORS/MISSION STATEMENT
After leaving art school in 1988, I produced mostly figurative paintings and looked to the work of Otto Dix, Egon Scheile, Alberto Giacometti and Odd Nerdrum for influence, I also looked at symbolism within different religions, especially Christian and Hindu, and took much inspiration from the Pre Raphaelites.
In 1994, I began to work with a variety of mediums and started making shrines, icons and lightboxes, In 1996 I moved to L.A for a year, and explored the mediums I was working with further. The prevalence of Hispanic religious iconography, ritual and symbolism I witnessed and a profound impact on me and I took part in a number of exhibitions where I showed my work, I also began writing more, poetry and short stories, some of which were published, and I began incorporating the writing in my work. When I returned to South Africa I produced a body of work for a show at the Area Gallery in CapeTown , incorporating photography, sculpture, print, painting, script and electric light, the show was SECRET/ICON. I also carried on producing paintings and took part in a few exhibitions in CapeTown.
In 1998, In went to live in The U.K. for 8 months, and while there, had the opportunity to see an exhibition of Mark Rothko's' paintings. Having grown up in South Africa when I did, I had had very little experience of Abstract painting, having only seen it in books, so viewing the paintings for real was astounding, the sheer size of the works was overwhelming, but the layering of paint and the depth he achieved within a seemingly single colour overwhelmed me. When I returned to Cape Town I began to experiment with layering pure colour glazes onto canvases, the process was incredibly seductive, but soon I started looking at industrial and building products to intersperse with the colour glazes. For inspiration I went back to my childhood and time spent exploring abandoned mineshafts at a mine my father owned near Pilgrims Rest in Mpumalanga.- the formations of rock and the veins of azurite and malachite that ran about the rock faces, together with an abundance of pyrites and quartz that we collected. So I started incorporating metal leaf and beeswax, resin and rust into my work, I also used my writing, which I scratched into surfaces. The scope was endless, and I worked mostly on a large scale. I continued to experiment with new mediums and the work evolved. The paintings were well received both locally and internationally and I exhibited extensively.
At the beginning of 2007, I decided to pull back on abstraction and turned back to figurative painting. In February I did "the Alice series" - a comment on my divorce. I have no idea how I got to go with Alice and the Rabbit, except that I woke one morning and felt absolutely compelled to do the series, I did draw in elements from some of my most recent abstract work, but the animated feel of the subjects was something I had never done before. I was approached by the Hout Bay Gallery in Cape Town to do an "Erotic Exhibition" for September, alongside Sarah Danes Jarrett and Claire Louise Walker. The ten paintings I did for the show were all done in pastel, oil, acrylic and beeswax. Once again, I turned to Egon Sheile, Alberto Giacometti and photography from the 20's and 30's for inspiration.
My latest body of work - "The Francis paintings" - is also a series of large scale figurative paintings, once again done mostly in oil, pastel and acrylic, but I have tried to push the boundaries since the Erotic series, and work with concept of deconstruction The show opens on 29th November 2007, at Okha in Cape Town.
BACKGROUND
Berlein studied a fine art diploma at Natal Technikon, completing her first and second year, majoring in painting. Since then, she has worked as a full-time artist, taking time off in-between exhibitions to travel the world.
List of exhibitions:
1993:
Taking Liberties Art Gallery
Durban, S.A.
Solo
1994:
Design for Living
Cape Town, S.A.
Ava Meteropolitan Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Members Exhibition
1995:
Arternatives Gallery
Johannesburg, S.A.
Solo
Ava Meteropolitan Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Members Exhibition
1996:
Bang The Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Group (X2)
Jay Payne Gallery
Los Angeles, C.A. Usa.
Group (Curated and Exhibited)
1997:
Private Space, Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, C.A. Usa
Group (Curated and Exhibited)
Sugarhouse Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Group (Curated and Exhibited)
Villeira Wine Estate
Stellenbosch, S.A.
Group (Curated and Exhibited)
Home of Mr M.Glbert
Cape Town, S.A.
Solo
Tulbach Guest House
Tulbach, S.A.
Solo
1998:
Bang The Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Group and Solo
1999:
Area Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Group
Idasa
Cape Town, S.A.
Group
2001:
38 Special Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Solo
2002:
3rd Eye Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Solo
Galerie De Lyons
Cape Town, S.A.
Group And Solo
@ Home Exhibition
Gledhow Gardens
London, U.K.
Group
2003:
Lennox Gallery
London, U.K.
Group
Affordable Art Fair
U.K.
Group
@Home Exhibition
Chelsea Harbour
London, U.K.
Group
@Home Exhibition
Fulham Road
London, U.K.
Group
Decorex (Art @Home & The Collection)
London, U.K.
Group
@Home Exhibition
Gledhow Gardens
London, U.K.
Group
Galerie De Lyons
Cape Town, S.A.
Solo
2004:
Affordable Art Fair
London, U.K.
Group
Okha Interiors
Capetown, S.A.
(Ongoing)
Lisa King Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
(Ongoing)
Arabella Country Estate
Cape, S.A.
Group
Pakua Design
Cape Town, S.A.
Solo
Houtbay Gallery
Hout Bay, S.A.
Ongoing Group
Galerie De Lyons
Capetown, S.A.
Solo
2005:
Patrice Brossaud Gallery
Winchester Mansions
Cape Town, S.A.
Solo
Lisa King Gallery
Cape Town, S.A.
Okha Interiors
Cape Town, S.A.
Art Now
Johannesaburg, S.A.
Kizo Art Gallery
Kzn, S.A.
Houtbay Gallery
Houtbay, S.A.
Lindy Van Niekerk Gallery
Cape Town, S.A
Group
2006:
Kizo Art Gallery
Kzn, S.A.
Solo And Group
Obenier Gallery
San Diego, C.A. Usa
Group
Lisa King Gallery
Capetown, S.A.
Group
Okha Interiors
Cape Town, S.A.
Hout Bay Gallery
Hout Bay S.A.
Art Now
Johannesburg, S.A.
Group
Indian Summer
Franch Hoek
Cape
S.A.
Lindi Van Niekerk Gallery
Durbanville
S.A.
2007:
Tigerlilly Studio
Cape Town
" The Alice Series"
Hout Bay Gallery
Erotic Exhibition ( With Sarah Danes Jarrett And Claire
Walker)
Kizo Art Gallery
Kzn
Heritage Exhibition
Okha - New Moderns
Capetown
Publications:
Casa
Italian Magazine
1996
Financial Times S.A.
2002 (September)
Habitat Magazine S.A
October 2003
House and Leisure
2004 (3 Publications)
House and Leisure
2005 (2 Publications)
Atlantic Sun –S.A
2005 (April)
Property Magazine Cape Publication
2005 (August)
Property Magazine Cape Publication S.A.
2006 (Feburary)
Property Magazine Kzn Publication S.A.
2006 (May)
Sunday Tribune. Kzn, S.A.
2006 (May)
D’arts Magazine. S.A.
2006 (May)
The Bugle Newspaper
2006(May)
Top Huis Magazine. S.A.
2006 9june/July)
Weekend Witness Newspaper. Kzn. S.A.
2006 (September)
Northglen News, Kzn, S.A.
2006 (May)
House and Leisure S.A.
2006 (5 Publications)
Satyagraha
Indian & South African Artists Tribute to the Spirit Of 9/11
2006
Get It Magazine Capetown
September 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
In 2008 I would like to work more with figurative painting, perhaps incorporating some abstraction,
Presently I am working on a music cd.
I would also like, in the next year, to finally finish the illustrations for a children's book I wrote, and also to publish a short book of poetry that I have written over the years.
ARTISTS QUOTE
"That my job is to create every day in whatever form that takes my fancy, is truly a wonder. And I am ever grateful."