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August, 2004
Artist Perspective
By John Norwich
Kevin Berlin: I am currently trying to live a "virtual" New York life. I want to have all of the excitement, friends and success of New York, without actually living here. My first big painting show in Paris, Sex and Drugs: New York opened on 9/11–exactly three hours after the attack. It all happened so fast we didn’t even have time to cancel the exhibition. People were discovering the news as they arrived. At the moment, we thought more than 30,000 people were dead, and several out-of-town guests spent the whole evening crying because it was impossible to get through on the phone lines. After that experience, I never quite came back home. And after 10 years in a studio in Tribeca, then SoHo, for the first time in my life, I imagined the possibility of living somewhere else besides New York City. From a guy who’s answering machine message announced, "New York, New York: The city so nice they named it twice…" this marked a dramatic transition in my work. Within three weeks, I moved my studio to Florence, Italy, and started living incognito under the fake name, Giovanni Rossi. HJM: Where do you prefer residing? Why? KB: Florence is a nice place to wake up to in the morning. I find myself spending more and more time there. I average about three months a year in New York. HJM: Is your multi-disciplined approach to art a distinct choice, or does the subject motivate you to choose the medium? KB: For me, the idea comes first. If I like the color, I’ll paint it. If I like the form or how it moves, I’ll sculpt it. If it needs to be permanent, I’ll sculpt it in bronze. If it’s an image of Elvis, maybe I’ll add neon. The idea always comes first. HJM: You sculpt, paint, draw and have your own fashion line of "Artist Designed Luxury Socks." What has been unexplored artistically for you? KB: Movies. Movies. Movies. Sometimes, what you have to say cannot be expressed by visuals alone. Over the last two years, I have collected more than 90 hours of digital video footage for my first feature-length film, The Secret Life of Giovanni Rossi. I have patiently scripted and collected footage in the Dominican Republic, Italy, Paris, and St. Petersburg, Russia. The surprise ending was filmed on a yacht here in Southampton with nine bikini-clad models. HJM: What is the common thread of all your work, in all its manifestations? KB: In the most basic sense, all of my work is about human desire. I feel compelled to respond to the most basic human needs. Whether the subject is as simple as the beauty of an orchid, the taste of good chocolate or the subject is as complex as a despondent ballerina, or backstabbing "friends." HJM: Spontaneity seems to be an important aspect of your work. Is it true that you just woke up one morning and decided to move to Russia and paint ballerinas? KB: I had just finished my first year in Florence, and I was feeling a little restless. By fortunate circumstances, I was able to move to St. Petersburg, Russia, on the occasion of the city’s 300th anniversary and spent nine months working on new paintings of ballerinas from the Kirov Ballet, young and old, backstage, during rehearsal and performance. I also painted students of the Vaganova Ballet Academy. The experience really woke me up. Both working with the ballet artists and a chance to explore the 220 year-old Marlinsky Theater where Tchaikovsky debuted Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. It was incredible to walk behind the stage of Nijinsky, Pavlov, Nureyev, and Baryshnikov. HJM: What are you looking forward to next? KB: I have just discovered cast glass. I love the idea of a sculpture medium, which can capture both an interior and exterior life. I am working on several twice life-sized heads. This new sculpture series is The Heroes of Our Time, and these 350-pound objects are being cast in Czech Republic, which has a remarkable and impressive artist heritage. The first sculpture, The Kiss, has just arrived in the US and makes its debut at Heller Gallery on West 14th Street in New York City. Maestro Valery Gergiev, artistic director of The Kirov Opera and Ballet, and Buzz Aldrin, who inspired us all with his walk on the moon, are both currently posing for portraits. HJM: What is your favorite thing about returning to the Hamptons? KB: Polo, the beach, a good lobster sandwich, a chance to wear a lot of white, and my annual summer exhibition at RVS Fine Art on Jobs Lane. This year the theme is Wine and Chocolate. HJM. Kevin Berlin’s works can be found in the collections of Kim Basinger, David Letterman, Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton, Quincy Jones and The General Motors Corporation. Opens August 7 Heller Gallery © Hampton Jitney Magazine |
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