A new exhibition by Laura​ ​Berger​ explores ideas of inclusion,​ ​interconnectedness,​ ​and self-understanding, the Chicago-based artist telling us: “I’m​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​our​ ​search​ ​for​ ​a​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​belonging, security,​ ​and​ ​meaning​ ​both​ ​as​ ​individuals​ ​and​ ​as​ ​groups;​ ​and​ ​how​ that both​ ​contrasts​ ​and combines​ ​with​ ​our​ ​existential​ ​concerns​ ​of​ ​feeling​ ​alone,​ ​unsafe,​ ​or​ ​insignificant​ ​within​ ​the​ ​larger world.”

Light Shields
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
8 x 10 inches

“During a time that’s been filled with so much divisiveness and hatred,” Berger continues, “I have been consciously choosing to focus my creative practice exploring the issues we are faced with through a lens that feels positive. Painting has become a way that I can envision a sort of idealised world and to be able to spend some time within a peaceful space. It also serves, for me, as a quiet personal act of protest against all of the violence and hatred that are so prevalent in our world.”

Entitled Here​ ​With​ ​You, the solo show — the artist’s first at Portland’s Stephanie Chefas Projects — features an ​array​ ​of​ ​impish and​ ​naked​ ​human​ ​beings that cavort around dreamlike scenarios, emblematic in waves of acrylic and gouache of the crucial role human interaction plays in steering us through times like these.

A personal body of work that has enabled Laura​ ​Berger to drift into her idealistic world of peace and contemplation, whilst examining ​existential​ ​themes​ ​within​ ​a​ ​minimalist​ ​framework, Here​ ​With​ ​You remains on show until 23 December at Stephanie Chefas’s Portland gallery; a ‘labour of love’ project for the longtime curator contemporary art throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco.

@stephaniechefasprojects
@_lauraberger_

Shadow Riding
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
14 x 18 inches

Still Lives II
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
12 x 16 inches

Becoming Each Other [Crop]
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
16 x 20 inches

Calm Within
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
16 x 20 inches

Protection [Crop]
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
20 inches diameter

We’ll Live in a Place That Mirrors the Sun [Crop]
acrylic and acrylic gouache on wood panel
16 x 20 inches