Ken Berman Interview on Itsliquid

One of the drawbacks about being an independent artist without current long-term representation is that you float around venues trying to find the right dealer for your work who values what you do and sees the potential in it. However, one of the benefits of this independence is that you sometimes get opportunities only afforded to the art elite since you are outside the control of the ‘art establishment’. Sometimes, being off-the-radar also has its advantages.

For me, my Interview on Itsliquid put me and my work on the global stage next to art notables like Lichtenstein, Hopper, Kusama and Gilbert & George and in my mind substantiated my claim that contrary to the opinion of many art venues in Northern California where I reside my art has global appeal and large market potential. My opinion about the validity of my work is also borne from real-life experience with my recent inclusion in a variety of locations in the print market via Walmart, Amazon, Houzz, Better Homes & Gardens … just to name a few (see the section entitled Affiliates). There’s nothing like getting support from Fortune 500 companies.

For some reason my work reminds me of Albert Einstein Paintings since the combination of elements in my work are like my own theory of relativity. Is this what an Einstein Painting would have looked like if it were done by Albert Einstein himself? If he did paint I think his work would have been as far out there as his hair. I guess that my theory of relativity in this modern age is that I can be Ken Berman, Ken Artist, Ken Art, Berman Painter, Berman Painting and Berman Artist all at the same time and in the same place.

Luca Curci – What’s your background?
Ken Berman – I have a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and a Master’s of Architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey. I am also a licensed Architect in the State of California.

LC – What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
KB – Attending a booksigning in late 1989 for the book Kiki’s Paris by Billy Kluver and Julie Martin. The booksigning took place in the home and studio of Robert Rauschenberg in New York City. At the time I did not know who Robert Rauschenberg was and I asked him how he knew he was an artist. His reply was essentially that if you wake up every morning with the passion to create and express yourself then you were an artist.

LC – Which subject are you working on?
KB – Living here in Northern California, in such close proximity to Silicon Valley and San Francisco, I am bombarded with new ideas and ways of thinking about things. From board rooms to factory floors, technology, music, architecture, etc. are all in a continuous state of upheaval, disruption and transition. The good thing about living so close to these “Factories of Ideas” is that I am constantly inspired to work on my own factory of ideas. The fertile ground that is in the DNA of this area has given me much to think about for the last twenty-plus years and has helped me develop a style that constantly reflects what it is like to live in today’s world surrounded by the powerful forces of change.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
KB – Coming from a musical family, I’m naturally drawn to music and in all the ways it surrounds our daily lives. Like an orchestra conductor, I use my materials and techniques like musical instruments to make my compositions. With every stroke and every layer, my paintings transform into complex visual symphonies.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
KB – As the world has evolved and changed it too has pushed me to grow and change many aspects of my work as well. Technology has allowed me the opportunity to express myself in ways that I was not able to do before. For example, I used to primarily use premade stencils in my art. Today I use web based technology and my own laser cutter to make my own unique stencils that express my ideas about what life is like today.

LC – Which art themes do you pursue? What is your preferred subject if there is any?
KB – The theme of my art is how to live a thoughtful, meaningful and balanced life while living in a very complicated and technologically sophisticated world. As a result, my work is about the struggle for balance in our daily lives in a world full of constant change.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this festival? In which way did it inspire you?
KB – Having the opportunity to show my work outside of the United States was the most important part of my participation in the show. My goal was to bring visibility to my work on the worlds’ stage and this show has given me an excellent platform to do just that.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the festival or as a part of preexisting works?
KB – My work is autobiographical and part of an ongoing journey. It chronicles my development as a person and an artist and is a visual timeline of my life. As part of a continuum, my work is continuously created, interpreted and reinterpreted so that it is equally relevant in the past, present and future.

LC – What is your idea about Itsliquid Group?
KB – Itsliquid brings to mind a sense of fluidity where the application of ideas are not static but dynamic. This is in contrast to the art dogma of the current ruling art class where outsider ideas are marginalized in favor of art pedigrees. This fluidity allows for the democratization of art which allows new and different ideas to be presented to the world.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us?
KB – The collaboration I would like to see is to create an event where an established artist is placed next to an unknown one. The goal would be to create a platform where a viewer can see great art that isn’t first being filtered by pedigree or censorship so that each work of art and each artist has to stand on their own merits and strengths. The event would be ‘blind’ so that the viewer would not know the gender, color, race, religion, etc. of any participating artist. Clearly the event would need to be curated but this would allow for underrepresented artists of merit with no artistic pedigree to compete directly with established artists.

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