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Eva Berendes in her studio. Photo \u00a9 Claudia Klein<\/p>\n Eva Berendes in her studio. Photo \u00a9 Claudia Klein<\/p>\n
Painting in three dimensions while reframing art history<\/strong><\/p>\n Given that she usually works in series of six or seven, it comes as no surprise that Eva Berendes\u2019 two most recent works are named after days of the week \u2013 \u201cUntitled (Monday & Tuesday)\u201d, 2013. \u201cI tend to do that number because it\u2019s just how long I can keep myself interested, and come up with that number of variations.\u201d She calls herself a painter \u201cin the expanded sense\u201d, and it\u2019s clear from these two works that now sit in her studio space when Sleek visits are not what most people would immediately identify as paintings \u2013 being inspired by children\u2019s climbing frames. She cites her interest in the body\u2019s engagement with abstract shapes as a motivation for her work, and notes that it could herald a shift in her practice towards outdoor, public works \u2013 pieces standing in the rain just like the objects they\u2019ve been inspired by. People in turn seem keen to get up close to Berendes\u2019 work, engaging in a physical, tactile way; often they involve layered, translucent elements and thus\u00a0invite 360-degree viewing.<\/p>\n It was at the beginning of her career, in work for her MA show, that Berendes began engaging with the more physical aspects of abstract painting: \u201cI had a tie-dyed canvas and I put it on the stretcher, but it didn\u2019t seem right to have that organic thing there \u2013 how do I know what is the right size and why is it in that position?\u201d The relation to design is particularly relevant in considering her influences\u2013 most notably postmodern Memphis furniture and Russian Constructivism. In this way, she sees her work as contributing to and a modification of a shared language: \u201cI\u2019m not hiding myself in a very personal, hidden discourse, or influences that no one has ever heard of. I\u2019m trying to participate in a bigger story. I am aware that I\u2019m sharing a language with other people, which makes me feel more like I\u2019m part of an ancestry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sleek asked Berendes how she feels about seeing elements of this design language used in other contemporary settings \u2013 the similarity between the metal grids used to show products on American Apparel\u2019s walls for example, and Berendes\u2019 \u201cGrid\u201d series, where an umbrella, a tennis racket and a gradient-dyed canvas are all displayed seemingly at random on steel frameworks. \u201cI haven\u2019t noticed it so much. As soon as I start working on something I see it everywhere regardless. I could see that more as a sign that artists and designers and perhaps musicians and so on, all pick up on the same influences.\u201d<\/p>\n Nevertheless, there is clearly a reason why Berendes chooses older applied art and design language to reinterpret and put her own spin on. \u201cIf it\u2019s a bit older I find it easier to understand.\u00a0I\u2019m not so tied up in it and it\u2019s not changing so much. It ages at a different speed.\u201d While she\u2019s not convinced that movements she is influenced by, such as postmodernism, are truly \u201cover\u201d (\u201cHas it really been recognised and appreciated for its good sides?\u201d), she confesses her own desire to see something contemporary reappropriated in some way, taken through a development that shows the artist\u2019s hand. \u201cYou have to send it through some sort of process, it\u2019s not enough to just quote it.\u201d<\/p>\n Berendes feels like she is working to the same beat of the artistic community as a whole. She mentions the small nods and shrugs artists give each other at openings as an example of this\u00a0mutual understanding. \u201cYou realise that you mean the same thing and you\u2019re not alone in what you\u00a0do.\u201d What a comforting thought.<\/p>\n