Emergence, the title of Kelly Berg’s new exhibition, is defined as “the process of coming into being.” Pyramids and geometric overlays within her compositions become a framework in which to view and contemplate the volcanic landscapes, rock formations and dramatic natural phenomena. The pyramids suggest timelessness and spirituality, acting as a connective point between humans and nature as well as geology and archeology. Jagged is the nature of Berg’s natural forms, suggesting we are on the razor’s edge between beauty and destruction.
In the spring of 2021, Berg was invited as an artist-in-residence at Boxo Projects in Joshua Tree, California and spent five weeks creating work informed by her direct observations. Her work included designing and creating mirrored and reflective pyramid sculptures that she hand-carried on hikes and to various locations in the landscape, placing them on rocks and inside caves and documenting this in photographs. These daily experiences and observations fed her studio practice at the residency and resulted in a series of paintings and photographs that would continue to inform her work over the course of the next year. Of long-time interest to Berg has been the creation of a new temporary “leave no trace” form of land art which, rather than impacting or permanently altering the land, would be a momentary interaction and collaboration between art and nature.
After her profound experiences in Joshua Tree, Berg was inspired to travel to multiple geologic locations over the course of the following year including Mono Lake (CA), Lassen Volcanic National Park (CA), and her 5th visit to Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii to see the 2021 eruption and return of the lava lake to Haleu’ma’u’ma Crater. Berg also reflected upon her 2019 artist residency with Art 1307 Cultural Institution in Naples, Italy where she spent time observing and then hiking up to the crater of Mount Vesuvius Volcano. Like her triangular and geometric compositions, Berg is connecting points from her own lifelong journey of following her passion for geology, archeology, and volcanoes to various sites around the world.