Artist making statements in DC

Don't miss 'Siri Berg: Statements' at The House of Sweden, now opened and running until May 12. 

  • Siri Berg photographed in her studio with a work from her black and white series behind her and more recent work of monochrome paintings on the table—solid in color with a gradation that can be visually seen upon close inspection. Photo: Stefan Anderson

  • House of Sweden and the Swedish Embassy in Washington DC is welcoming the doyenne of Scandinavian artists in New York City, Siri Berg, for an extensive solo exhibition just opened on March 5.

  • Siri Berg: Cycle of Life (1967)

  • The show is the third in a series of retrospectives devoted to Berg’s work, which began with In Color (2016-2017) at The Shirley Fiterman Art Center, New York and was followed by A Life In Color (2018) at Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, and brings another element to the artist’s work.
    “The major difference this exhibit will bring,” says Curator Peter Hionas, "is the interplay of Siri Berg's paintings against black walls as opposed to white walls in the earlier exhibits. The interaction of color that will happen with the paintings for the first time being seen against black walls will be monumental.”

  • Siri Berg: La Ronde (1970)

  • The exhibit will be staged in two distinct gallery spaces—light and dark—at House of Sweden, each space offering a different investigative look at the varied interests and aesthetic experimentations of Berg’s career as a painter, collagist, sculptor, colorist, and abstractionist.
    In Alfred Nobel Hall, the gallery’s black walls will be adorned with a selection of Berg’s vintage and new paintings, dating back to 1967 and up to 2018. In the combined Fyra and Fem rooms, which are outfitted with light walls and an expansive northern window overlooking the gardens, a curated selection of Berg’s assemblage works, wood block prints, and painting studies will be on exhibit.

  • Siri Berg: Warm and Cool Grey (2018)

  • Siri Berg is a veteran artist who has exhibited around the world since 1970. Her works are hanging at the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum, in Coca Cola’s board room and in the homes of private collectors.
    She enjoyed abstract art from the beginning in a subdued fashion; the structure and color you will experience came later. When I ask her why she chose to paint in the abstract, the reply comes after some time of quiet reflection … “I didn’t want to make it my life to copy or reproduce reality, it simply didn’t feel as much of a challenge. While on a canvas or project, I lose myself completely in the creation itself, creating from the inside and out rather than the other way around.”
    Ulf Barslund Martensson

  • Siri Berg, literally "home"

  • Read our portrait of Siri here: Siri Berg: A Life in Color or, see our video interview: 'Color My World' - a meeting with artist Siri Berg

  • Siri creates her art by mixing and matching colors together.

  • House of Sweden is located at 2900 K St NW, Washington, DC 20007. For more info, see: www.houseofsweden.com