Irit Epstein

Artist Statement:

I grew up in Israel. I studied art in Berlin, Germany and art therapy in New York. I have lived and worked in numerous locations. Since 2010 I have been based in Toronto.

My paintings are a visual exploration that seeks to portray my experiences of migration. The work reflects my external and internal journeys as I carry on a dialogue with a changing environment. This involves the constant interaction between universal elements and personal symbols, enabling a dynamic look at their complicated co-existence. I employ symbolic motifs alongside fragmented narratives, often using distorted combinations of recognizable and abstract forms, thus creating tension between discipline and improvisation. Diving into my internal landscapes, I retrieve images and combine them with external impressions to create a space and an experience, as I search for equilibrium and balance.

Education:

Master of Fine Arts - Academy of Art (HDK), Berlin, Germany
M.A. in Art Therapy - New York University, New York, NY

Awards & Distinctions:

Jury Award Winner - LastIn - Bezpala Brown Gallery, Toronto.
Juror's Choice - Scarborough Arts, Mississauga, ON.
Certificate of Excellence - Artavita
Honorable Mention Award - Circle Foundation for the Arts.
Finalist - 38th Annual Juried Show - Art Gallery of Mississauga.
Finalist - 'Next!' - The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto.

Exhibitions:

2022 Exhibizone – 'Scenic - 2022'
2022. Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke – 'Impact 2022'
2022. Women's Art Association of Canada – 'Echoes'
2022 Visual Arts Mississauga at Riverwood - 'Why Do We Create?'
2021 ArtWorks Oakville – 21st Annual Juried Show
2021 Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke – 'Impact 2021'
2021 HeART of HealthCARE - 'Safe and Respectful Maternal and Newborn Care'
2021 VASA Arts Festival - 2021 - 'Horizons of Hope'
2021 HeART of HealthCARE - 'Patients for Patient Safety'
2020 John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto – 'You Are Here'
2020 Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke – 'Catch Phrase'
2019 Gallery 1313, Toronto – 'Peeling Layers'
2019 Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke – 'Impact 2019'
2019 Beaux Arts Brampton – 'Colours of South Asia'
2018 Gladstone Hotel, Toronto – 'Why the @#&! Do you Paint?: All Those Lines'
2018 Gallery 1313, Toronto – 'Inside Insight'
2018 Neilson Park Creative Centre, Etobicoke – 'Impact 2018'
2017 The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto – 'Next2'
2017 Gallery 1313, Toronto – 'Life Disrupted'
2016 Agora Gallery, New York City – 'Dynamic Visions'
2016 Art Gallery of Mississauga – '38th Annual Juried Show' – Finalist
2015 The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto – 'Next!' – Finalist
2015 Gladstone Hotel, Toronto – 'Why the @#&! Do You Paint?'
2015 Red Head Gallery, Toronto – 'Insomnia'
2015 Miles Nadal JCC Gallery, Toronto – 10th Anniversary Gallery Show
2015 Bluffs Gallery, Scarborough – 'Unsung Sheroes'
2014 Articsok Gallery, Toronto – 'From Her Point of View'
2014 Doris McCarthy Gallery, Scarborough – 'Back to Basics' (Juror's Choice)
2014 Articsok Gallery, Toronto – 'Ubuntu – Carrying Forward Nelson Mandela's Vision'
2013 Solo exhibition: 'Inner Spaces' – Articsok Gallery, Toronto
2013 Solo exhibition: 'Rising Beyond the Body' – Miles Nadal JCC Gallery, Toronto
2013 Articsok Gallery, Toronto – 'Surrealism for the 21st Century'
2013 Articsok Gallery, Toronto – Grand Opening
2013 Papermill Gallery, Toronto – 'ChildSight'
2013 Bezpala Brown Gallery, Toronto – 'LastIn' exhibitions – January, March
2012 Solo exhibition: 'Rising Beyond the Body' – Bezpala Brown Gallery, Toronto
2012 Bezpala Brown Gallery, Toronto – 'This Is the End'
2012 Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Brantford, Ontario – 'War & Peace'
2012 Bezpala Brown Gallery, Toronto – 'Beautiful Me'
2012 Bezpala Brown Gallery, Toronto – 'LastIn' exhibitions – February (Jury Award Winner); March, August
2011 Arta Gallery, Toronto – 'Annual Holiday Show'
2011 Arta Gallery, Toronto – 'Contemporary Art'
2011 Arta Gallery, Toronto – 'Free Coloring'
2007 Traveling exhibition 'Contenedores De Espiritu', Mexico – Galeria Emilia Cohen, Mexico City; Museo de la Cultura Maya
Chetumal, Quintanarro; Museo de la Isla de Cozumel, Quintanarro; Plaza Coculcan Center, Cancun, Quintanarro
2006 Solo exhibition: The 'Museal Windows' – Gallery, Ramat Aviv, Israel
2005 Solo exhibition: 'Rising Beyond the Body' – Givatayim Theatre, Givatayim, Israel
2004 Traveling exhibition, South Sharon District Council, Israel – 'Disengagement'
2003 Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy
2003 Artists Association of the Moshavim Movement, Tel-Aviv, Israel – 'Abstract'
2002 Solo exhibition – Tel-Aviv Performing Arts Centre, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2002 Artist Studio, Hadera, Israel – 'Genesis'
2002 Bible House Museum, Tel-Aviv, Israel – 'Multinational Biblical Creators'
2002 Contemporary Art Museum, Hanita, Israel – 'Liberty'
2001 Solo exhibition: 'Adaptation' – Lesley College, Netanya, Israel
2001 The Winery, Rishon LeZion, Israel
2000 Solo exhibition: 'Adaptation' – Sara Erman Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
1996 Solo exhibition: 'The Short Century' – Tiroche Gallery, Jaffa, Israel
1995-1999 Painters & Sculptors Association, Tel-Aviv, Israel – Annual exhibitions
1985 Academy of Art (HDK), Berlin, Germany
1985 'Die, die Heute von Heute sind, sind Morgen von Gestern' – Kunstquartier Ackerstrasse, Berlin, Germany

Tags:

Modern, contemporary, abstract, expressionist, surrealist, colorful.