by John Stevens
December 9, 2009 4:52 PM
Writer Amy Moon and artist Seamus Berkeley have collaborated to offer an exhibit dedicated to the theme of self-storage. The exhibit, called "Plenty Hidden," will take place at Berkeley Fine Art Studio, 933 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA, 94710, on Tuesday, December 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
"When something -- like self-storage -- becomes a ubiquitous part of our lives and our landscapes, we often don't see it," writes Berkeley about his exhibit. "By taking a closer look, Amy and I explore what our relationship to our things says about us and how that affects our environment."
Berkeley has established a reputation as one of the most prominent artists in the Southwest. Originally from Dublin, he moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1999 to join the artists' community there. In 2005, he opened up his Berkeley, CA studio. Now he divides his time between both locations. Since moving to the United States, Berkeley has won several awards. In 2000, he won the Best Portrait award at the Oil Painters of America show. He also founded and was president of the Taos Society of Portrait Artists and is a member of the Oil Painters of America. Berkeley has announced that this exhibit will be his last in Berkeley for a while, as he intends to make a long visit to Ireland starting early in 2010.
"Plenty Hidden" will be the second collaboration between Berkeley and Moon, in which Moon writes short pieces to accompany each of Berkeley's paintings. One of the pieces Moon wrote to accompany a painting from "Plenty Hidden" reads:
"An unexpected truth is that as tight a grip as family or a lover can have on you, your things and your lifestyle can grip just as tenaciously. You have your business, your staff, your family and your things. They're of a piece. To ditch one is to ditch them all. You end up continuing to acquire. And then you need self-storage."