French artist, theatre - and fashion designer Berengere Brooks, is returning to conceptual work with new work in the exhibition “Conversations”. Brooks is exploring motherhood, women-hood, but also our working spaces, through the use of different media such as video, photography, installation and painting.
Berengere Brooks’ background in theatre design has almost certainly influenced her choice of working with installations, where space, props sounds or lighting all become part of the experience.
The 3-dimensional component of installation art allows the viewer to become an active part of the artwork by simply walking into the space or - as it is the case with one of her latest works- by sitting down in a comfortable armchair.
Brooks creates her videos using bits of interviews she held with various women she has met – and assembled these bits as one would cut and paste pieces of paper to make a more traditional collage.
Talking to women about certain issues like motherhood and relationships with other women in their lives, has also led her to investigate her own behaviour and her everyday life. Women and gender issues have always been her predominant subject, and she has expanded the focus to include issues relating to children,siblings and mothers.
By making herself a character of her own fiction she follows in the footsteps of French contemporary female artists Sophie Calle and Annette Messager.
The themes of individuality and inability to communicate emerge from these last works as a struggle that each of us has to face, both in our work and our family environment.
Without giving us answers, Berengere Brooks makes us look closely and from a different angle at our own relationships with our immediate kith and kin. Is that not the role of any artist?
kOOii Art Space presents an exclusive preview of her work on Sunday 7 June. from 10 am-6 pm
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