Fresh from completing a residency at the respected Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin County, the Israeli-born artist Iris Charabi-Berggren (MFA 2007) is about to undertake another residency, this time at Berkeley's Kala Art Institute. And she just received an email from the Drawing Center in New York notifying her that she's been accepted into their Viewing Program.

It's a good moment for this mother and artist, who admits she hasn't had the easiest time as she's forged her unique career path over the last few years. Raising twins meant that she wasn't completely able to immerse herself in school, and in the years since graduation it's taken longer to build up an artistic support system. But challenges seem to bring out the best in Charabi-Berggren, who responds to setbacks with renewed focus and determination. "They motivate me to reach out more. I feel like an underdog," she says. "I am working so hard for everything. Nothing comes to me easily. But I have so much passion for what I do."

All of her artistic undertakings since her MFA days have explored themes of social dynamics, hierarchies, and how groups affect individuals, although her recent shift from drawings to videos has introduced some changes. Specifically she attributes the difference to the masks she creates for the actors. "It softens the works," she says, pointing to masks' association with comics. While still exploring issues of hierarchy and power, the videos have a kind of lightness. "The masking really allows me to be playful," she says. "And the actors relax more into their roles because they're hidden."

During her time at the CCA, Charabi-Berggren focused on ideas about the body, while maintaining the intellectual interplay between self and society. What do our bodies communicate to others? What is the body's role in chronicling and forming our experiences, both within a social context and in our mental and physical evolution? She was particularly sparked by professor Lynn Kirby, despite the contrast between Kirby's intuitive, abstract process and her own more linear, precise approach. "That's Lynn's charm, and the way she works. She was a teacher and a mentor and a friend. We had a very beautiful connection. We're still in touch."

Charabi-Berggren says that her recent Headlands residency provided similar inspiration and liberation through its large studio spaces, communicative environment, and diverse artist community. And then there was the food: "Pure joy!" she laughs. 2011 is full of possibilities for this articulate and quietly provocative artist, with a slate full of new challenges, including a solo show at Mission Comics & Art in August. She's even considering writing a screenplay that links the dating world to a war zone. "It really is like war: the struggles, isolation, despair, beauty, victory. I'm so interested in human behavior. The range of emotions."

Related:
Iris Charabi-Berggren's Headlands Center page
Iris Charabi-Berggren ArtSlant profile