The Horse and the Paper Carpenter
Simone Cappa
Courtesy of the artist, Siri Berg.
Siri Berg’s traveling show, "The Horse-Dalasten," recently made a stop at Pickled Arts Center, Beijing. The work in the show consists of experimentations in papermaking and Japanese wood block printing.
A Swedish native, though she now calls New York home, Berg refers back to her native system of symbols in her works, using the horse as her primary subjects. The Horse-Dalasten is an icon of Sweden, as the Panda is to China, the Empire State Building is to New York. On the choice of the medium for the icon Berg remarks, "I sometimes identify myself as a paper carpenter, crafting collages out of the world’s most common medium, paper. Because of the universal nature of these materials, I enjoy the freedom to explore and experiment with the visual richness and subtlety achieved by working with…color, texture, design, and movement to express feeling and mood."
Berg’s oeuvre includes paintings, collages made from Japanese method wood block prints and assemblages from industrial objects. A faithful exponent of abstraction, Berg has applies color as a language entirely her own, which she finds both satisfying and stimulating. She adopts forms and textures for their contrasting qualities, as indirect evocations of her experiences, which she employs to tell a personal narrative.
The show’s next stop will be in Sydney, Australia.
