Rina Freiberg
Perth-based artist Rina Freiberg paints bold abstracts and wild expressionist faces in her exploration of human interaction and the feminine form.
Words: Georgie Ward | Photography: Jillian McHugh
‘My works speak differently to each person. The intensity of the work, or the commanding nature of it, requires the viewer to be present,’ says Rina Freiberg.
‘I remind myself, nobody can paint as you paint and the strength lies in that,’ says Rina Freiberg. Photo: Jillian McHugh
‘The hardest task for me is not creating the work, but often the naming of the work,’ says Rina Freiberg.
Rina Freiberg’s striking brushworks are a translation of emotion and a playful disassembling of human interactions. Her work is heavily informed by human connection, existing as an artistic representation of her engagements in life.
Through her process of creating, she processes her daily conversations, new ideas and the energy that she comes into contact with, into a lucid painting. ‘The faces I draw or paint are not portraits, rather they are a totality of the interactions I have had,’ she says.
Growing up as a child, creativity through art, drama and music was always encouraged, however Rina struggled with painting, she felt the brush never behaved the way she wanted it to.
Revisiting painting in her early twenties, she allowed the paint to go where it wanted, once she removed this idea of controlling what she was meant to create, she felt free and her love for painting began to flourish.
Rina grew up in a home with Miro prints, nude female paintings and Brett Whiteley, ‘I laugh at how direct the influence of these has been to my work nowadays.’
Rina utilises an array of striking shades with more muted pastels, to create a balanced yet electric feel to her works, ‘Colours are values and I’m trying to figure out an equation that doesn't yet exist. I generally let instinct pick the colours from the pile, yet other times I will have absolute clarity on a specific colour choice.’
‘For artistic inspiration I search for artworks that feel electric,’ says Rina Freiberg. Photo: Jillian McHugh
‘My practice started in such an organic, integrative way that, even still, there is no separating life and art,’ says Rina Freiberg.
“If a viewer allows, the artwork is a mirror. The art is not about me. It’s about the person standing in front of it.”
‘I worked from a home studio for a long time, but it’s great having a seperate space where I can make a proper mess and work on multiple works at once,’ says Rina Freiberg. Photo: Jillian McHugh
‘I use materials that allow me to work anywhere - dinner table, restaurants, hotel rooms, on planes,’ says Rina Freiberg. Photo: Jillian McHugh
Her boldness with colour stems from a love for art theory, ‘Once you know the rules, you can break them, and as abstract as the work can be, there is intentionality to the colours I use.’
Recently, Rina has been playing with darker and muddier tones alongside purer, more vivid colours, where she enjoys the challenge of finding harmony in opposition.
Faces are the core subject matter of Rina’s works, constantly experimenting with how one brushstroke can change a face. She’s fascinated with the idea that reading faces is the first language that we speak and then we spend the rest of our lives decoding these expressions. In recent years, she extended beyond faces, to painting the female form, as an expression of sensuality, sexuality and identity.
Rina’s current work explores the dynamic feminine and romantic masculine, ‘Painting figures allow me to muse femininity, whereas the faces often align to masculinity.’
Rina is currently exploring Spain for a dose of European inspiration, as well as creating some commissioned pieces while travelling. Most recently, Rina has returned to painting more abstract forms for pleasure, for fun and for the challenge of making marks make sense.