S T A T E M E N T
What distinguishes Patricia Dreyfus’ work is her seamless blending of diverse media—drawing, embroidery, sculpture, and photography—to create a distinctive universe populated by bodies, heads, faces, and imagined narratives. She explains:
“My works, created through various techniques and materials, are inhabited by human forms and symbols. I reflect on themes such as origin, identity, and gender in an increasingly complex and unsettling world. I work in series, viewing each as part of a world deeply rooted in my personal experiences and observations. Through humor and irony, I aim to make these reflections more accessible.”
This website offers a comprehensive view of three decades of artistic creation, showcasing individual works and installations that interweave multiple disciplines.
C V
Patricia Dreyfus born in 1951 in Dakar, Senegal, grew up in Paris in an environment where young girls' futures seemed predetermined. At 16 she left her family to follow her own path, driven by a deep need for freedom and discovery. She traveled to England and then to New York, working various jobs to support herself. These experiences shaped her vision and strengthened her artistic sensitivity.
Returning to France in the early 1970s, she became involved in an engaged intellectual circle where feminist struggles had a lasting impact on her perspective. She trained in video editing and directing before making films about artists such as Shirley Goldfarb, Boris Tissot, and Roberto Matta. Her films accompanied their exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, and other prestigious venues.
From 1982 to 1984, she deepened her skills in drawing and sculpture, studying under Gregory Mazurovsky at the American Center and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Sculpture, particularly in bronze, became a major form of expression.
Later, she founded a corporate film production company, earning an award at the Biarritz Festival in 1987. In 1992, after the tragic loss of her youngest son, she moved to Basel, leaving the film industry to focus entirely on her artistic work.
Since moving to Berlin in 2012, her work has evolved to include new mediums, particularly textiles, which have become an integral part of her artistic practice.
Collections in Switzerland, France and Germany.
____________
Patricia Dreyfus, Born in Dakar, Senegal
1982 - 1984
Apprenticeship at studio Gregory Mazurovsky, Centre Américain and Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris
1972 - 1992
Documentary film in the range of art, music and economy
1992 - 2012
Lives and works as an artist in Basel
Since 2012
Lives and works in Berlin
Solo exhibitions (selection)
2025
Fäden schaffen Welten - FrauenMuseum Wiesbaden 28.09-Mitte December
To see or not to see - Galerie ArtKlub Bonn 11.10-29.11
Mia Fair Milan with Art Projects, Brussels (BBAP)
Art International Zürich 23-24 Mai
2024
S U S P E N D E D Magdalenenkapelle, Alter Friedhof, 31303 Burgdorf (31. August bis 20 Oktober 2024)
L' I M A G I N A I R E von Inseln und anderen Phantasmen (curated by Harald F. Theiss) L I N I E N 83A, Berlin
2023
3rd Prize 2023 for "Ce que disent les fleurs 1,2,3,4" Kunsthaus Lisa, Germany
https://kunsthauslisa.de/frauen-literatur-und-frauen-kunstpreis-gewinnen
KÖPFE UND MASKEN, Kunstverein Wunstorf, DE
S U S P E N D E D, Art week Berlin, L I N I E N 83A, Berlin
L'île imaginaire, Galerie RIVOLI#43, Brüssel, BE
Die imaginäre Insel, Kunstverein Kultur am Kelterberg, Stuttgart Vahingen, DE
2022
C A C H E (curated by Harald Theiss), L I N I E N 83A, Berlin - DE
WE ARE MULTITUDES, L I N I E N 83A, Berlin - DE
2021
lettre à moi-même #3, Kunstverein Wolfenbüttel - DE
2020-2021
lettre à moi-même #2, Galerie Albrecht, Berlin - DE
2019
lettre à moi-même #1, Galerie Mesmer, Basel - CH
2012
HumanKapital, Häuser und Asche, Kunstverein Ebersberg, DE
Weggefährten, Kunstverein Ottobrunn, DE
Insomnia, Kunsthaus Norden, DE
2011
Insomnia, M54, Basel, CH
2010
Traces/Spuren, Karmeliterkirche, Wiener Neustadt, AT
2009
War Memories Reinvented, QCC Gallery, New York, USA
Group exhibitions (selection)
2022
NADELWERK, Klosterscheune Zehdenick, Zehdenick, DE
2020
AUSBLICKE, Galerie Albrecht, Berlin DE
2018
Das kleine Format, Atelierhof-Kreuzberg, Berlin, DE
2016
Kölner Liste , Cologne, DE
2013
Wer bist du?, Museum Schwarzenberg, DE
Umspann ZENTRALE, Galerie G11, Berlin, DE2013
Kauf mich, Schwartzsche Villa Galerie, Berlin, DE
2011
Remise en Jeu, Kunsthalle Mulhouse, FR
2010
Regionale, Fabrik culture, Hégenheim, FR
2009
Regionale, Kunsthalle, Basel, CH
Art and documentary film
« Aux sources du monde arabe », 1989, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris
« La rencontre au sommet » 1987, Award for Best Documentary Film, Biarritz Film Festival in France
« L’homme réparé », 1986, Centre de la Villette, Paris
« Roberto Matta »,1984
« Les Iles flottantes de Boris Tissot », 1983, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
« Le rêve d’Aurélie », 1983
« La Vie et l’Oeuvre de Shirley Goldfarb », 1982, Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris and Musée de Pontoise
Bibliographie
2017
Die imaginäre Insel (Schulz und Schulz)
2011
Insomnia (Benteli)
2004
Obstinate Creation (Linsenmann AG)
1996
Signes de têtes / Headsign (Mendiboure)