EXHIBITION ARCHIVE

Event poster for an art exhibition featuring portraits and botanicals by Alia El-Bermani, running from May 16 to July 11 at the Craven Allen Gallery. The poster displays painted portraits of two women and floral artwork, with a header and event details.
Art gallery wall with five framed portraits of diverse people hung on a brick wall, and a large painting of a woman looking out a window on a gray wall.

Perennial
May 16 - July 11, 2026

STATEMENT

For this solo exhibition of my work presented during the abundant transition of spring to summer, I share both botanical works on copper as well as figurative paintings. Choosing to paint from life slows me, allows me to honor and give reverence to a series of moments both external and within. The slow time that direct observation requires is a balm for my soul in this heartbreaking world. It is my hope that the layers of paint and nuanced meaning within these works offer a similar sense of healing and stillness to others.

Alongside botanicals and other figurative work is a collaborative body of portraits I’ve been lovingly calling ‘The Artists I Adore’. Each portrait depicts an artist for whom I hold deep respect and admiration. Each of these were also painted from life. Depending on the sitter, we shared anywhere from three to a dozen hours together to complete the oil painting on copper – my portion of the collaboration. I find this slow time together, where we share space, breath and stories the most compelling. It’s a quiet unfolding of connection. To truly see and be seen in this deep, earnest way feels like such a rare and generous gift made possible through direct observation. 

I have chosen to paint these works on copper, a material with a long history as a substrate for oil painting since at least the 1400’s. As a precious earth metal, copper mirrors the inherent value of each of my sitters. Further still, I have chosen to present these portraits as tondos (circular formats), which evokes medallions or currency – forms traditionally reserved for figures of some historic legacy or stature. Presenting these Artists in this format, within this visual language, and choosing to frame them in substantial Dutch ripple frames, re-values and further honors them.