Lisa Berley, 'Neshama, Swimming the Soul's Journey' (2025) | Mixed Media
Lisa Berley's 'Neshama, Swimming the Soul's Journey' (2025) is a photographic diptych of Japanese lion-dogs, influenced by a recent trip to Japan, that reflect the spirit of connection. Komainu, as they are called, are mythical creatures placed in pairs at the entrances of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. These statues originated in India, traveled through China and Korea, and are characterized by one having an open mouth and the other a closed mouth, symbolizing life and death, or the beginning and ending of things. They embody principles of life, death, and the duality of existence. The painting of the lion-dog with mouth agape shows sprouted green leaves crossing over from the life lion to the death lion, symbolizing the possibility of continuum. This reflects the artist's yearning to reconnect with her son in some form after death, to experience a 'reconnection.'
The diptych is in a stunning custom scalloped wood frame, completely handmade by artists Sebastian and Hernan of the legendary Quattro Frameworks in New York. The frame is work of art in itself.
This item will ship directly from the artist's studio in Boulder, CO. Please reach out to us for a shipping quote prior to your purchase.
LISA BERLEY (b. New York): is a visual artist and poet who started a career as Art Director at KQED TV in San Francisco after receiving a BFA in Painting and Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her love of art and media began during her pioneering work as an artist for Aurora Systems, developing one of the first computer graphics and animation systems for television. After returning to New York, she exhibited mixed media and collage works in several galleries, including a solo exhibition in Geneseo, NY, while raising her family. In 2016 Berley moved to Boulder, CO, and after the accidental loss of her son, began using methods similar to her collage paintings to create hybrid erasure poetry. Her nonlinear approach to poetry, redacting found words to create new reductive fragments, mirrors her journey through grief and loss. Her poetry and visual works stand as testaments to the power of art in navigating life and tragedy. Berley currently resides in Boulder, Colorado.
EDUCATION
Carnegie Mellon University
Tyler School of Art
B.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute
DIMENSIONS: Framed: 55 H x 37 L inches
DETAILS: hotograph and paint . Floated in a natural oak wood frame.
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