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Kimberly
Berg
Artist
Statement
Today women at last have the chance to reclaim their inherent
birthright. I believe that artists can play an important role
in
helping women rediscover their ancient heritage.
My art tries to restore that part of ancient goddess cultures
that
once honored women for their sacred, life-giving, life-affirming
powers. Powers associated with the moon and wild animals.
Qualities
associated with art, aesthetics, dance and music, singing,
chanting
and ecstatic states of being.
I believe such a transformation can be achieved when the artist
leads the viewer along a path from the known into the unknown.
The
artist can do this by placing a realistic figure in an imaginary
landscape. In these paintings such a landscape is intentionally
symbolic or metaphorical in character, opening a door for
the
viewer to enter unfamilar worlds.
In the Mandala series the imaginary landscape consist of a
mandala
which traditionally represented our spiritual journey to
God/Goddess/One. Each ring in the traditional mandala represents
a
barrier overcomed, bringing us closer to the One. The Mandala
is
also being used here to suggest the sacred Cosmic Energies
of the
Universe, once thought to be embodied in the Earth Mother.
In the Meditation series the imaginative landscape consist
of a
forest scene illuminate by a golden light. The gold background
is
meant to suggest the gold-leaf background used in Medieval
paintings to depict the heavenly sphere. In my paintings the
gold
background suggest Nature infused with the Divine. I believe
this
is how the early people, embracing the Nature Religions of
the
Goddess cultures, viewed the world. I believe if women today
are
allowed to express their true nature, they, too, could help
us all
respect the natural world with renewed reverence and honor.
Using the power of the imagination to create images, the artist
as
shaman, trickster, prophet has the ability to reveal the
possibilities of a spiritualized world, and what humanity
can be
living in such a world. This is the peaceful world of the
goddess
our early ancestors lived in.
BIO
I grew up amongst the rolling, pastoral hills of Wisconsin.
After
graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a major in
history, I moved to New York City with the intention of becoming
a
writer.
That idea did not lead to the publishing success that I had
been
expecting. After four years in the city, I decided to move
to
upstate New York where I built a small cabin in the Adirondacks.
Inspired by Thoreau and Zen philosophy, I wanted to live a
self-sustaining life of voluntary simplicity surrounded by
a
natural world of trees and wild animals. It did not seem a
hardship
to learn how to live without electricity, cut wood for heat
and
grow my own vegetables. Wary of commercial foods, I switched
to a
macrobiotic diet, bought organic, whole grains and other supplies
in bulk at the local food coop. One bag of rice lasted a year.
Gradually, I became disenchanted with the publishing world
and
became more and more attracted to the craft of the visual
artist.
As an artist I knew that I didn't want to live off my paintings.
I
wanted to preserve the freedom to create whatever inspired
me
whither I was writing or painting. Eventually, that led me
to
concentrate on drawing the human figure..
About five years ago I read a book by Layne Redmond, WHEN
DRUMMERS
WERE WOMEN. That book made me realize for the first time that
in
prehistorical times the world was dominated by a matrifocal
culture. Because of my history background, it was a shock
to
realize that our present patriarchal culture could not be
presumed
to be the natural order of human society. With this understanding
I
had to acknowledge as a man enjoying the benefits of a privileged
gender that it is indefensible to think of or treat women
as
inferior in any way. My website ISIS RISING.NET is the outgrowth
of
this realization. It's an attempt to help restore the balance
using
the art image, poetry and book reviews. My paintings are an
attempt
to reconnect women to what has been lost, to her prehistoric,
matriarchal roots: her ancient relationship to nature, her
goddess-based spirituality and to the once honored, sacred
mystery
of her body.
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