Jaya Suberg, expressive mixed media figurative works

Jaya Suberg
Born in 1956 in Hagen, Germany.
In 1980 I came to the “walled-in” city of Berlin and I immediately felt at home, a completely different universe!
I felt excited and encouraged … as soon as I stepped into the street.
Everything had resonance, the ailing and neglected spoke my language – only Berlin smelt like this, looked like this, felt like this.

The eighties: my party –
wasting your youth, DAF, Joy Division, The Cure and many others.

All this sought space, sought expression. Since an early age I soaked up everything – brought everything into focus with my camera. Initially I worked the photographs and other materials into a collage diary; especially when life was hurting. But at some stage I had to transgress beyond the limits of the book cover, develop something greater. The elaborate, surreal collages reflected my feelings: impulsive, intense and imaginative.

The photo shoots kept increasing – spontaneous or by appointment. Attractive people, mostly women and the wondrous encounters in the game with the camera became expressions of my mixed media works. The increasing ease of access to digital resources was my revelation: I tattooed the beautiful creatures with my own language, applied shades of desire and sketched injuries onto face and body.

After years of experimentation and study, I’ve found my means of expression: I combine my photography with painting, drawing, digital collage and mixed media.

Berlin is no longer what it once was … For many years I have spent winters in southern countries, most recently, many times on La Gomera, where I can work and exhibit.

There as here, I meet people who often become part of my workflow because feelings are universal. Our stories interweave until everything either dissolves or deepens. My intention is not to stimulate thought, but to feel … to feel touched.
Jaya Suberg
Apr 20, 2016