Eleni Berg is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of nature, immigration, consumerism, and indigeneity.
Berg spoke with UC Berkeley writer Alexander Rony at a recent open studio event for MFA (master’s in fine arts) students. At the time, Berg was hosting a workshop where visitors were sculpting clay filled with native seeds.
I was thinking about how I could incorporate more community into my work and give everyone an opportunity to work with clay. A fun way to work with clay is to leave it unfired because you can always return it back to the land. I decided to make little seed bomb sculptures. It's a special mix of different terracotta red clays and 23 different California wildflower seeds.
I made a mushroom, cat, and corn. It would be fun to put them in my garden. They'll look pretty for a while. The rain will eventually turn them back into dirt. We'll see what happens.
It really feels like you're here by yourself. I'm teaching and taking classes, so I come in whenever: after hours or on weekend days.
Sometimes, someone from your cohort comes in. We all have such a great time in the space together. The ceilings are open. We can shout, “Hey, how's it going?” It's nice to stop by and check out what people are doing while we're working.
Although there's a nice tranquility about being isolated, it's also far away from campus. Transportation takes a lot of time. There's also a challenge in that I have to bring my work in my car. If I didn't have a car, I don't know what I would do to get all the way to the ceramics building, Bauer Wurster Hall, to get my pieces fired.
A lot of us are painters or sculptors and don't have access to sinks. I make do and have a bucket. I don't want to complain. I'm grateful. These are little things that would be so helpful for us.
Art 8. We're doing a project where we are using resources from the library, particularly the art history section. I wanted them to think about different historical contexts they can bring to their work in an informed way. It’s not just making a statement because you feel like making it — it’s thoroughly researching why you want to say something through your work.
Oh no, I've been a teacher for the past seven years. Before coming to Berkeley, I was mostly teaching after-school programs with middle and high school students.
I have a lot of passion for sustainability, environmental justice, racial justice, and indigenous rights. I make heavily detailed sculptures and paintings because they draw more people in. My family feels kind of alienated by abstract art. I want them to understand my work as well as the things that I'm passionate about.
I want to be enticing and inviting. I don't like to put it all out there; I want people to take a long time with my work.
Right now, I'm making a paper sculpture of a Victorian house. I'm thinking about how invasive things can be actually very beautiful, like the Victorian house, sour grass, or eucalyptus.
If you chop sour grass up and boil it, it makes this rich, bright yellow dye. I'm going to use it to paint my house. I'm planning to make my house have wool-sculpted roots coming out of the bottom. The eucalyptus can have a nice pink or brown tint to it. I'm going to use the eucalyptus to dye the wool. I'm trying to use materials in my conceptual ideas to talk about things I really care about.
You can follow Berg at eleniberg.com or on Instagram at @eleniberg.
