Moville artist Rikki van den Berg says she is profoundly honoured to showcase her works in the US for the ffirst time.
Rikki travels to Boston soon to exhibit her work at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts (HCA) on March 25th.
Thepaintings are already on their way across the Atlantic for the exhibition, which will run until April 24th with an official opening reception on April 4th.
Rikki says she’s excited to be making this US trip to share her work with new audiences there. “Being invited to exhibit my work at the Lotvin Family Gallery at the HCA is a profound honour and feels almost surreal. It has been a dream of mine for years to go to the US with my work. And thanks to Lorelei Lotvin, founder of the Lotvin Family Gallery, my dream has come true.”
Rikki says Lorelei walked into her studio-gallery in Moville town one afternoon last summer. “She really liked my work, and we got on very well. She is an artist herself and kept in touch with me after she went back home. A few months later, I got the invitation to exhibit in Boston.”
“Since word got out that I’m exhibiting in Boston, I’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible support from both the local community here and the Irish community in Boston. People at home have been wishing me the best for this trip, and spreading the word to the US, which has been really lovely. So, I hope to meet lots of Donegal people while I am out there!”
Rikki says it’s truly inspiring to see the deep connection between Inishowen and Boston. She’s been amazed by the excitement among the Boston Irish and Donegal diaspora there that paintings from their homeland are making their way across the Atlantic. “The HCA team has been incredibly supportive and generous in making this exhibition happen. The Lotvin Family Gallery are fully funding the transportation to Boston of 37 of my paintings for the exhibition and ensuring everything runs smoothly. I’m truly grateful for their dedication and belief in my art.”
Rikki’s work is inspired by the wild and breathtaking landscapes and seascapes of Inishowen. As a landscape painter and expressionist, she is drawn to what she describes as the ‘raw beauty’ of this region.
Rikki’s work was featured in Irish Wave 3 in Beijing in 2012 and she returned to China in 2023 for the St Brigid’s Well Exhibition. She received the Tyrone Guthrie Residency Award twice (2016) and the McKenna Arts Award (2022) for her collaboration with Echo Echo Dance Theatre. Selected for the Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Show (2017), she gained recognition as a landscape artist. In 2024, she was nominated for the Richardson French Residency Award for the third time.
Sarah Alexander, Director of the Lotvin Family Gallery at the HCA says they are honoured “to host the ethereal and beautiful paintings of Rikki Van Den Berg in our gallery. We’re excited to see her work displayed alongside American artist Marcia Wise. The two artists have a formed truly remarkable connection as they’ve worked on the creation of this exhibit.”
Entry to view the exhibition is free. For more details, call +1 508-435-9222, visit the HCA website at www.hopartscenter.org or contact Rikki at info@rikkivandenberg.com .
