Melanie Berman's paintings embody expressions of free will, prompting contemplation on the laws of nature, ontological reductions and with knowledge as a concept of perceptions. Interweaving allegories and historical text, the artworks delve into ideological reasoning, spirituality, and poetry. Themes explore questions of morality, imagination, vice, praise, and reward, resonating with contemporary relevance. The paintings, in their own realization, offer a liberating experience, inviting a timeless journey through abstraction.
Fascinated by the non-objective, Berman translates sound into colours as utterance as though illusionistic forces into patterns, employing both thick opaque and thin translucent paint. Traditional and contemporary techniques engage in a symbiotic relationship between 'Living speech' and ‘inscription’. Dreamlike colour tones, reminiscent of an otherworldly source, convey information. The process involves gathering and decontextualising information, navigating painterly concerns, and seeking a universal language of expression through mark-making. Constantly exploring new possibilities within a creative space, in which shapes and objects can inhabit, ultimately to refer to themselves even though born out of stimuli they are free from adhering to a specific model. Using controlled or intuitive reasoning whilst exploring painted shapes that have discovered a penetrating and eloquent language of their own.
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Melanie Berman: Biography
Melanie Berman (b. Surrey, UK) lives and works in East Sussex. She graduated from the University for the Creative Arts with a BA in Painting (2008), and from Berkshire College of Art (1980) with a BA in Fashion Design. Her work is in private collections in the USA Canada France Portugal and Australia. She has been awarded various commissions including SMC Design, London. Most recently she exhibited at the - Royal Academy London Summer Exhibition (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024) - Royal Scottish Academy (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 ) Her work also featured in the Royal Academy Calendar 2021. She exhibited at Wells Art Contemporary Exhibition 2021, Lido Open 2021, Beep Painting Biennial Wales in 2022 and the Bankley Open Exhibition in 2022. Barclays Bank residency 2021-22 RHA selected 2023 The Ballinglen Art Foundation Biennial County Mayo Ireland 2023/24 The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition Mall Gallery 2023 Jacksons Art Prize : Judges Choice Huge Barclay Award 2024