Petra Berntsson
Petra Berntsson is a Swedish visual artist with a background in landscape painting and photography. Following a career as a painter and decorator, specialising in restoration work and contemporary wall design, she turned to fine art painting and teaching. Petra moved to Ireland in late 1995, where she started her own business making organic, traditional paints.
Her paintings often depict the coastline, set out to capture a sense of solitude and familiarity, the sentiments of longing and belonging entwined. Her recent MA in Art & Research Collaboration at IADT, Dublin (2016-18) explored the concepts behind boatbuilding and our relationship with the sea using video, sound and writing. This inquiry forms the basis of her continuous research.
Petra has exhibited widely, both nationwide in Ireland, in the UK, Sweden and New York, with her work represented in private and public collections, including Louth County Council, the OPW and Per Cent For Art.
She is a member of North Louth Painters, AAEX and Creative Spark Print Studio.
Solo Exhibitions:
2016 ‘Interlaced’ Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2014 ‘Lost in Thoughts’ Gallery Zozimus, Dublin
2012 ‘Once Upon Reflection’ Sol Art Gallery, Dublin
and The Basement Gallery, An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk
2011 ‘Sketches From The Secret Garden’ Olive Art House, Newry
2010 ‘CHAIRS II’ Sol Art Gallery, Dublin
2007 ‘CHAIRS’ The Carrick Gallery, Carrickmacross, Monaghan
Group Exhibitions, a selection:
2023 ‘GÖTEBORG 2023’, RiverCity Gallery , Göteborg, Sweden
2023 ‘Exploration and Inspiration’ North Louth Painters, An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk
2022 ‘Winter Gathering’ Invited Artists, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2022 ‘Connective22’ Louth Craftmark, Gallery 13, Drogheda
2022 ‘Looking Forward, Looking Back’ North Louth Painters, An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk
2021 ‘Meditations in Time of Civil War’ Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2020 ‘Installations’ AAEX, Dundalk (various locations)
2020 ‘Among School Children’ Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2020 ‘Eva Gore-Booth – Lá Fhéile Bride, Brigid’s Day Exhibition 2020, Hamilton Gallery Museum of Literature, Dublin
2019 ‘Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen’ Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2018 ‘Horizon’ Creative Spark Residency Programme, An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk 2017 ‘Crazy Jane’ Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2016 ‘A Terrible Beauty is Born’ Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2015 ‘Oxygenium’ Galleri Arken, Goteborg
2014 Ross Fine Art Summer Show, Donegal
2013 Selected Group Show, O’Farrell Gallery, New York
2012 ‘She, who could’ve been me’ with Croi8 Art Collective, Anaverna House, Co. Louth
2010 ‘Up and at it’ with Croi8 Art Collective, Sol Art Gallery, Dublin
Other:
2023 ‘Decade of Centenary Artists Books Project’ Creative Spark, Dundalk
2018 ‘Casting Invisible Lines’ Research Presentation, talk and screening, the LAB, Dublin
2018 Video ‘Casting Invisible Lines’ available on Youtube
Summer exhibitions on Vrångö, Sweden 2012-16, 2020
2018-21 Has painted two book covers and one CD cover
Collections:
2019 Per Cent For Art, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
2015 OPW (Office of Public Works, Ireland)
2012 Louth County Council
2008 Louth County Council
Bursaries:
2022 Agility Award, Arts Council of Ireland
2019 Create Louth, Dundalk, Co. Louth
2018 Artist in Residence, Creative Spark, Dundalk
2012 Louth County Council
2012 Dundalk Arts Office