Fantastic article by Catriona Gray for Country Life Magazine as she visits the UK’s oldest-surviving art foundry Morris Singer Foundry now rocking a successful future hidden away in the Hampshire countryside.
"The art of bronze casting is incredibly complex and requires a number of different processes, with each individual step demanding a particular set of specialist skills." - this is the absolute truth and I couldn't trust anyone else with my pieces in bronze, steel and resin, except the rockstars at Morris Singer Foundry.
Photography credit: Richard Cannon © Country Life Picture Library.
Country Life Magazine July 2024 issue: https://www.countrylife.co.uk/publication/country-life/country-life-24-july-2024
Press
The Future is Female at The Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks | FAD Magazine Feature
Press, ExhibitionBig thanks to Tabish Khan, for featuring our exhibition 'The Future is Female' among the Top 5 Art Exhibitions in London Post-Easter.
“The Future is Female @ The Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks
Sculpting has historically been seen as a male profession and this exhibition brings together a diverse selection of female sculptors ranging from Jill Berelowitz’s spiralling sculpture made from female torsos to Charlotte Colbert’s video work of the sleeping benefits supervisor that Lucien Freud once painted. It’s all housed within the spectacular old chapel of the Chelsea Barracks. Until 6 April. ”
Read the article here: https://fadmagazine.com/2024/03/31/the-top-5-art-exhibitions-to-see-in-london-post-easter/
Jill Berelowitz in JN Life Magazine | Winter 2019
Interview, PressThank 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."
James Nicholls from Maddox Gallery Reviews Jill Berelowitz’s ‘Osmosis’ on London Live TV
Press, Exhibition, Video, OsmosisLondon Live art critic James Nicholls from Maddox Gallery reviews my solo exhibition ‘Osmosis’, on view at 45 Park Lane till end of January 2019.
Bronze Christmas Tree | Press Release
Press, Sculpture, Exhibition, Osmosis
In a unique new commission as part of the ‘Osmosis’ Sculpture exhibition, 45 Park Lane has asked Jill Berelowitz to create a magnificent Christmas Tree for the hotel foyer.
The tree will be unveiled at an exclusive event on 6th December 2018.
The trunk, branches and twigs are individually cast and welded together to reproduce the shape of a traditional Christmas fir tree.
Standing at 3.6m high, the tree is constructed from over 1,500 branches and twigs and in excess of 500 bronze pines cast in three bronze alloys, white, copper and gold bronze; each hanging from sumptuous ribbons to complement the hotel's interior.
The tree is adorned with strands of tiny fairy lights, and topped with a golden-bronze star, held aloft by a celebratory male and female figures.
Jill's tree celebrates the coming together of family, the light and hope of a bejewelled Christmas, and the regeneration it promises for the New Year.
This unique piece is the only Christmas Tree to have ever been constructed entirely from bronze, and adds a magical spectacle to enjoy during the Festive season.
Jill created the Christmas Tree at the Morris Singer Foundry in Hampshire.
'Osmosis' continues at 45 Park Lane until end of January 2019. Courtesy of Ackerman Studios in association with Dorcester Collection.
Photo/moving images credits: Cristina Schek
'Osmosis' | Jill Berelowitz Solo Exhibition at 45 Park Lane | 8 November 2018 - end of January 2019
Announcement, Exhibition, Sculpture, Press, OsmosisDelighted to announce that I will be exhibiting a newly created body of works titled ‘Osmosis’ highlighting themes of positivity and regeneration. My Solo Exhibition will be running 8 November 2018 – end of January 2019 at 45 Park Lane, courtesy of Ackerman Studios in association with Dorchester Collection.
The new sculptures will be released on Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned!
Across place and time, this joyful exhibition celebrates womanhood and nature with lyricism, elegance and light. A collection of ideas, memories and experience, synthesised into a body of work exploring femininity, light and the natural world.
Join Jill Berelowitz in a journey to a world of beauty, life and light.
In her newest work, in which patinated bronze panels are adorned with three dimensional tree branches, artist Jill Berelowitz captures a mystical, abstracted landscape that evokes the experience of light through the trees familiar to anyone who has explored the English woodland at dusk. Originally from South Africa, these new works symbolise a cultural osmosis for the artist, absorbing the sensation of the English landscape into a practice that frequently draws on themes inspired the vastness of the African continent.
This exhibition demonstrates the artist's personal movement across geographies; tumbleweed that cycles across the landscape, bodies fused into a globe the shape of a rock eroded into a smoothly beautiful form by the elements and time. This examination of the transience of life is at once personal to the artist, and speaks to universal human experience.
Trained as a sculptor, Jill makes ambitious, large scale works that articulate her personal experiences, infused with positive and often spiritual feel. Many of the works are deeply personal, incorporating symbols of a talismanic importance to the artist; an elephant, the tree of life, circles and spherical forms, a feather, a dachshund. Many others evoke the human figure formed with qualities of elegance and lyrical movement, often elongated and abstracted in the manner of the traditional tribal sculpture of her homeland. The female figure is of particular importance to the artist, a recurring motif that is celebrated in this exhibition during the Year of the Woman.
The human figure is a recurring motif in Jill's work, emblematic of the interest in beauty that preoccupies the artist. Her figurative forms are at once specific and universal - at times they signify human movement and transition, at others they become figures from classical myth, becoming the personification of natural forms, from tiny seed pods, to the mother of dawn in 'Aurora'. A second recurring image in Jill's work is that of the tree as a form that embodies life, the rhythms of nature and the markings of time.
Although much of her work is cast in bronze, Jill often uses other materials including carbon fibre and crystal resin to explore her ideas. The resin in particular allows the artist to explore her use of light, the colourful, transparent material allowing natural light to flood through and refract. This sublime phenomenon symbolises the luminosity that is embodied by all of Jill's work. Light and life pulsate throughout, offering hope and positive energy.
Later update: London Live art critic James Nicholls from Maddox Gallery reviews my solo exhibition ‘Osmosis’, on view at 45 Park Lane till end of January 2019.
BBC 2 Video | 'Tumbleweed' in Health and Wellbeing Garden
Sculpture, PressRHS Hampton Court Flower Show as seen on BBC 2 Alexandra Noble's 'Health and Wellbeing Garden' with 'Tumbleweed' bronze sculpture cast from apple branches by Jill Berelowitz.
His Mind's Eye Tree Sculpture | New Place at Night
Announcement, Sculpture, PressA special after-dark tour of Shakespeare's New Place is a great way to enjoy the 4.5 mt x 5.5mt bronze tree sculpture commemorating the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, which is the centrepiece of New Place at Stratford-upon-Avon.
When the crowds have left and the beautiful buildings at The New Place are quiet, you're invited to try something different. Sample a wide range of specially programmed talks and workshops, from photography to calligraphy, historical fashion to how stories inspire peace.
Let expert guides take you on a journey of discovery through the gardens where Shakespeare’s family home once stood. See the glorious gardens of Shakespeare’s New Place lit up, explore the stunning art installations by award-winning artists and hear about how they were made and inspired by Shakespeare.
Booking is essential as spaces are limited.
Art On Park Lane | Mayfair Times
Press, SculptureDelighted to see my sculpture 'Moving Forward' featured in Mayfair Times. Read online, page 14.
Mowing Forward | Westminster Reporter, Issue 124/June 2017
Press, SculptureDelighted that 'Moving Forward' was featured in the Westminster Reporter, issue 124/June 2017.
'Moving Forward' has a very poignant and positive message for all in 2017 in the UK and worldwide - looking introspective and outward looking. The sculpture was commissioned by Westminster City Council to create an appropriate and suitable sculpture for Park Lane central reservation opposite The Dorchester Hotel and 45 Park Lane (part of the Dorchester International Collection).
Jill has previously worked with Westminster Council in the lead up the the London 2012 Olympics with 'Core Femme' in Cavendish Square. 'Core Femme' is now permanently situated outside Charing Cross Hospitalin Fulham Palace Road.
'His Mind's Eye' | A Video Tour Of Shakespeare's New Place
Press, SculptureWalk in Shakespeare’s footsteps and meet the man behind the works in a fascinating new exhibition. Discover beautiful gardens and specially-commissioned artworks.
Shakespeare’s New Place was his family home from 1597 until he died in the house in 1616. The house was demolished in 1759, a registered garden has been designed to commemorate the importance of the site and allow visitors to make their own personal connection with Shakespeare.
When Shakespeare bought New Place he was an established playwright and it is believed that he wrote his later plays there, including The Tempest.
Follow in Shakespeare’s footsteps through a new entrance on the site of the original gatehouse and enjoy a contemporary landscape that reveals the footprint of the Shakespeare family home. The re-imagined site gives an impression of the scale of New Place and relationship to the surrounding buildings; such as the neighbouring King Edward VI School and Guild Chapel that were once attended by a young Shakespeare.
Commissioned artworks and displays throughout the site evoke a sense of family life and hint at Shakespeare’s major works that were written during the 19 years he owned New Place.
The sunken Knot Garden has been restored in keeping with the original design by Ernest Law. Elements of the Great Garden, the largest surviving part of Shakespeare’s estate, will be conserved and further developed over time. via www.shakespeare.org.uk
'His Mind's Eye' | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Annual Report
Press, Sculpture2016 proved a record-breaking year for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust as we celebrated 400 years of William Shakespeare's creative genius with the world. We are delighted to see Jill's sculpture prominently featured in the Annual Report (pages 2-3).
'His Mind's Eye' bronze tree and cosmic sphere evoking the power of Shakespeare's genius was sculpted by Jill and cast in bronze at The Morris Singer Foundry, towering at a height of 4.5 metres sweeping to 5.5 metres and weighing approximately 4.5 ton.
'DNA Tree of Life' Featured in RHS Chelsea
Sculpture, Exhibition, PressAnn-Marie Powell Gardens – Green Grey Britain – RHS Chelsea 2016 Stand MA 435
Ann-Marie Powell has been chosen by the Royal Horticultural Society to design their official ‘Greening Grey Britain’ garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.
“DNA Tree of Life” sculpture by Jill Berelowitz will be featured in the garden.
The power of a tree is drawn from the earth. This is a literal and yet very spiritual interpretation of nature that is borne out of my upbringing within a medical family in South Africa. I address the scientific reasons behind the strength and purpose of a tree by superimposing the readily recognisable structure of DNA over the natural tree form forcing the sculpture upwards away from the earth. The result is a dramatic assemblage of vertical trunks and interwoven branches that erupt at the top as a prescient symbol of the creative potential of genetics. Genealogy also provides a link to the beginnings of life and in particular to a notional Adam & Eve who existed when homo sapiens first emerged in Africa millennia ago. To this extent the branches in DNA Tree are largely made up of conjoined human figures that seemingly dance through the history of the tree’s growth flowing up from a round base, which is emblematic of the “circle of life”.
Whether you’re planning a new garden, renovating an old one, or simply want to change your garden to suit your lifestyle better, our multi award-winning studio, Ann-Marie Powell Gardens can help.
Jill Berelowitz | Press Release September 2015
PressJill Berelowitz will present two new sculptural works in the atrium of Berkeley Square House, London, in association with ARTful from September 2015 until January 2016. The two works titled DNA Tree and Moving Forward are fine examples of one of London’s most engaging artists’ oeuvre.
For Berelowitz the power of a tree is drawn from the earth. This is a literal and yet very spiritual interpretation of nature that is borne out of her upbringing within a medical family in South Africa. In DNA Tree she is addressing the scientific reasons behind the strength and purpose of a tree by superimposing the readily recognisable structure of DNA over the natural tree form forcing the sculpture upwards away from the earth. The result is a dramatic assemblage of vertical trunks and interwoven branches that erupt at the top as a prescient symbol of the creative potential of genetics. As well as addressing the future in Berelowitz’s words genealogy also provides “a link to the beginnings of life” and in particular to a notional Adam & Eve who existed when homo sapiens first emerged in Africa millennia ago. To this extent the branches in DNA Tree are largely made up of conjoined human figures that seemingly dance through the history of the tree’s growth flowing up from a round base, which Berelowitz describes as emblematic of the “circle of life”.
Also installed at Berkeley Square House is an arrangement of the sculptural group called Moving Forward. The work combines varying numbers of sleek humanoid forms in an unflinchingly positive work whose title enforces this fact. There are a number of different compositions mostly using only two figures but each work is unique and this variation contains seven casts. The humanoid figures are cast individually with no two alike and their gender is implied, if not explicit, this allows the relationships between each figure to be hinted at and for the viewer to perceive the dynamics of the group in their own way. Berelowitz further relinquishes a lot of the control she has as the creator of the work, handing it over to the viewer by allowing the figures to rotate on their bases and be physically interacted with as well as independently perceived. This being said Berelowitz is still responsible for placing the works during an installation period whereby she assesses the space and determines how they should be positioned. This decision can change the emotiveness of the group from sparse alienation to intimidating clique. It is tempting to see a work like this as wistful or nostalgic, as somehow to see each figure as static and entrenched in dire isolation, yet the proximity and fluidity of the figures, independent and yet enthral to another, provides a life-affirming study of humanity. Ultimately this emotion is highlighted by a feature of this installation whereby one of the figures is set away from the group and finished in white bronze contrasting the darker finish of the others. By distinguishing one of the group from the rest Berelowitz draws attention to the individuality of each of them.
Jill Berelowitz was born in 1955 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She developed her passion for art at a very young age and studied from the age of 12 under renowned Finnish artist Karen Jarozynska and then at Johannesburg School of Art. After graduating she set up her own studio in Durban and worked and taught there until moving to London in 1985.
In London Berelowitz has established herself as one of the City’s most innovative and prominent sculptures. She has monumental works installed outside Charing Cross Hospital and at Henley-on-Thames, and has been commissioned to make the Investec Challenge rugby trophy plus works for the Goldsmith’s Guild, Unilever and Old Mutual. She has been exhibited at Sotheby’s and Christie’s as well as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Heathrow Terminal 5 and on Cork Street for Rado and Elizabeth Arden. Other exciting projects also include commissions for Westminster Council’s ‘City of Sculpture’ programme and for the entrance to the London 2012 Olympic Village.
News Flash – Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, New Place Stratford-upon-Avon .
The leading piece, The Mind’s Eye Tree, is being created by Jill Berelowitz
'DNA Tree of Life' and 'Moving Forward' | Berkeley Square House, Mayfair, London
Press, SculptureJill Berelowitz is coming to Berkeley Square House, Mayfair London in September 2015. Jill will be displaying “DNA Tree of Life” and “Moving Forward.”
Jill Berelowitz coming to Berkeley Square House W1J
Having met Jill Berelowitz earlier on this year, we are extremely excited to be showcasing her work at one of ARTful’s trophy receptions in the heart of Mayfair, London in September.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1955, Jill Berelowitz studied sculpture, first under Karen Jarozynska and then at the Johannesburg School of Art. In 1989, Jill moved from her native South Africa to London and is one of the capital’s most innovative sculptors, known for her bronze, steel and optical resin works.
Whether pursuing her long-standing passion for the intimacy and movement of the body, or flexibly working to a brief, Jill’s detailed understanding of anatomy and organic form gifts her work with sensual and contemporary appeal. Working closely at the Morris Singer Foundry, her tactile, cast pieces achieve a remarkable finish in bronze, aluminium, stainless steel and optical coloured resin.
Jill’s broad interpretations of life’s cycles and developments from within a solid core run through her diverse sculptural output, suggesting that the female nude is simultaneously a personal and a universal allegory for nothing less than the geography and continuity of humanity. Jill creates work focused on the human form and regeneration wherein bodies are simultaneously solid and abstracted, dynamic and fixed.
A versatile sculptor, Jill has exhibited recently at Sotheby’s, Heathrow Terminal 5 as well as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for Accenture, at Christie’s, and on Cork Street for Rado and Elizabeth Arden. Jill has also completed many high profile commissions, including ‘Diving Girl’, which was positioned at the entrance to London 2012 the Olympic Village, life-size Pair Oar rowers at Henley on Thames, a rugby trophy for Investec Challenge and most recently a larger than life piece, “Core Femme” & “Old Mutl” in Cavendish Square for the Westminster City of Sculpture Festival.
Jill is also an enthusiastic educator, running a successful teaching studio in Mill Hill, London and also continues to work on ongoing projects and commissions. Follow the link for more information on Jill’s news.
Jill will be displaying “DNA Tree of Life” and “Moving Forward” in the main reception windows of Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, W1J from the 3rd September 2015-January 2016. They are not to be missed. For any further information contact info@artful.org.uk
Jill’s Mind’s Eye Tree for the New Place Project
Sculpture, PressJill Berelowitz will be casting the leading piece in conjunction with The Morris Singer Foundry to be featured in the renovated garden at the New Place Project.
'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.'
Meet the Artist Working on Sculpture for New Place
Interview, Press, Sculpture"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
Beaux Arts London – Emerging Artist for Summer 2014
Sculpture, Press
Heathrow Welcomes A Post-Olympic Arrival | The Art Newspaper
Press
A sculpture from the London Olympics Village has found a temporary new home at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5. The Diving Girl, 2012, by the Johannesburg-born artist Jill Berelowitz will be splashing down in the terminal’s Expo Gallery tomorrow evening. Although the 3.5m-high bronze sculpture will be a permanent fixture at Heathrow “for the foreseeable future”, according to a spokeswoman, the work is also for sale, number three of nine editions, with a price tag of £35,000. The fate of other works created for the Games, including large-scale works by Marc Quinn and Damien Hirst, remains a mystery. Source: The Art Newspaper
Jill Berelowitz Interview | Kensington & Chelsea Magazine
Interview, PressQ&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.
