Collection: Andy Berg

My sculpture practice acknowledges the piece of ground that I am standing on. It employs the materials of the ground; namely clay, cement and found debris objects.

My cement work investigates a language and poetry of debris or discards that is one of the by-products of western consumer culture. I utilize an artistic process of random walking outdoors and by chance discovery and gathering of found objects, both human and naturally made. These objects are then brought back to the studio where they are considered for their narrative, non-linear or informational qualities. Once the objects have been selected, they are incorporated into single use handmade molds that have been textured with relief sculpted clay elements. The intentionality of the texture of marks left in the clay along with the physicality of the debris objects in the sculptures, touch the eye and invite a return to the physical world, thereby activating haptic intelligence and embodiment. Each cement sculpture is unique and speaks to, or of “the news of the day”, in a sculpted assemblage of tragedy and comedy, facts and fictions.

Additionally, my individual one-of-a-kind ceramic sculptures, while wide ranging in their impulse, generally extend the ceramic craft concept of vessel; thereby expanding craft techniques beyond utility into a discursive or poetic fine art framework. My ceramic sculpture engages conversations for example, ranging from the status of women, climate change and planetary distress, or the rationale of early abstract expressionism.

Andy Berg is a Settler whose practice gratefully acknowledges the life, history and culture of the land she inhabits in Eastern Ontario. Berg cites the influence on her work of numerous enriching encounters, such as teaching arts and crafts at the former prison for women, Kingston, serving as a community member for the Ontario Provincial Board of Parole, Eastern Region, returning to higher education later in life to complete her BFAH at Queen’s University in 2008, working as the Unitarian Community Lay Chaplain, officiating for diverse rites of passage, including some of the first legal same-sex marriages in Kingston, and many more. These encounters assist her with working through the domains of artistic walking, feminism, ecology, Truth and Reconciliation, as well as holistic or non-linear disciplines. Berg is a partner in Riel + Berg Culture and Art, which develops and delivers public art and cultural engagement based on the TRC Calls to Action. Riel + Berg was commissioned by Queen’s University Psychology Department for an Indigenous foyer mural, end of 2021 installation. Berg is an elected member of the Sculptors Society of Canada and her current studio is in Brockville, ON.

2 products
  • Tower PPL Red
    Tower PPL Red
    Regular price
    $975.00
    Sale price
    $975.00
  • Tower PPL Yellow
    Tower PPL Yellow
    Regular price
    $975.00
    Sale price
    $975.00