Jill Berelowitz in JN Life Magazine | Winter 2019

Thank you Louisa Walters for this lovely interview “The Art Of The Matter “ in JN Life Magazine, Winter 2019.

“If you’ve been to or walked past Charing Cross Hospital, you may have noticed two huge sculptures. One is Reclining Figure by Henry Moore, the other Core Femme by South African artist Jill Berelowitz (pictured, inset). The body is incomplete with rounded ends where the limbs and head should be – an organic composition reminiscent of a backbone where the individual torsos become vertebrae.

“I do love the female form,” says Berelowitz, who is responsible for creating the most masculine of trophies – the bronze ball and tassel cap handed to international rugby players on the occasion of their 100th cap. But pigeon-holing an artist who receives such critical acclaim is impossible as she can move from His Mind’s Eye, a bronze tree and cosmic sphere commemorating 400 years of Shakespeare’s genius, after celebrating the female form with The Diving Girl, which was commissioned by the Olympic Village in 2012. Berelowitz studied sculpture with Finnish artist Karin Jaroszynska and later at the Johannesburg School of Art, where she learned the technically complex process of lost wax bronze casting.

By the age of 23, with two young children, she had already opened her own studio in Durban and was doing lots of community art projects. While the female form continues to fascinate her,

and tribal South African art is a source of inspiration, sometimes males and females unite in her work as in Moving Forward, which sits in the centra reservation on Park Lane opposite the hotel 45 Park Lane. It is at this hotel that Berelowitz has had a seasonal change of direction, with her 3.6m high bronze Christmas tree in the lobby from 8 December. Reassuringly, the star at the top is held by both male and female figures."

Meet the Artist Working on Sculpture for New Place

"As well as all the building work taking place on site of the New Place Project, we’re also working with some very important artists to create beautiful sculptures to feature in the renovated garden.

Our leading piece, The Mind’s Eye Tree, is being created by Jill Berelowitz, in conjunction with The Morris Singer Foundry.  Together they will be casting a hawthorn tree in bronze metal, as well as using branches found at our own Mary Arden’s Farm. 

The Morris Singer Foundry, which dates back to 1848 are well known for their casting work and are recognised as the oldest fine art foundry in the world. Jill has also designed and created many exciting and memorable sculptures for her previous commissions, including, ‘Diving Girl’, which was placed at entrance for the London 2012 Olympics, and also, the ‘Pair Oar’ rowers, which are permanently on display in Henley-On-Thames.

We recently spoke to the pair about their work and here is what was said:

You were one of the first artists we contacted to work on the project. What was your initial reaction to being asked to create a piece to feature in Shakespeare’s New Place?

Morris Singer are greatly honoured at being chosen as the foundry and Jill as the sculptor to be associated with the most recognised and iconic Englishman with worldwide recognition.

Jill, you have created Bronze Trees in previous works of art.  What is it that you find so intriguing about them?

Up until now I have used apple branches as my reference as it symbolises the beginning of time beginning with Adam and Eve which is a celebration of life.  As my trees emerge from the ground, they are symbolic as the Earth Mother and then culminates with dancing tree figures with outstretched arms celebrating life on the branches.

Bronze has always been my first choice of sculpture medium, as with trees, it comes from the earth and will be there for eternity.  It also improves a sculpture with its own persona.

Finally, the Morris Singer Art Foundry have a great tradition of working with metal, what do you think the foundries greatest artistic achievement is to date?

Morris Singer Foundry have created beautiful sculptures over the past 150 years worldwide including the fountains in Trafalgar Square, numerous sculptures by Frampton including Peter Pan, Eros, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and recently Gandhi in Parliament Square by Philip Jackson.

We are extremely excited to be working with both Jill Berelowitz and the Morris Singer Foundry and can’t wait to see the final piece in place. "

Source: www.shakespeare.org 

Jill Berelowitz Interview | Kensington & Chelsea Magazine

Q&A with Jill Berelowitz about her current sculpture exhibition in Kensington

Q. Was sport the main inspiration for this new group of sculptures?

A. I’m inspired by movement and these now pieces do overlap with athletic movement as I was commissioned to create a Diving Girl for our Olympic Village.

Q. Some of your human figures have attenuated forms in the manner of the late Giacometti: did he influence your work?

A. My figures are inspired by nature, organic shapes and movement but not by Giacometti.

Q. Did your Olympic Village and Heathrow Terminal 5 exhibitions lead to international interest in your work?

A. Yes, international enquiries and new sales and commissions have been generated by those exhibitions and also by my giant spinal sculpture displayed in Cavendish Square, part of Westminster City Council’s festival City of Sculpture.

Q. What future plans do you have in mind for your sculpture?

A. The themes of the cycle of life and regeneration are evolving in my new sculpture and commissions, and I am working with interesting, varied media that include crystal, resin, bronze and stainless steel.