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 was born in 1951 in Dakar, Senegal, and grew up in Paris. At the age of 16, she decided to live independently. She began her career in the video film industry alongside the father of her first daughter, who was a filmmaker. During this time, she learned film editing and directing. After their separation, she continued making art documentaries under her maiden name, Patricia Gerber. Her subjects included Shirley Goldfarb, an American painter living in Paris, and Boris Tissot, a sculptor working with shortcrust pastry. She also collaborated with Roberto Matta. These films accompanied artists‘ exhibitions at the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, the Pontoise Museum, and other prestigious venues. Alongside her work as a videographer, Patricia Dreyfus studied art from 1982 to 1984, focusing on drawing and sculpture. She trained with Gregory Mazurovsky at the American Center and attended courses at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. During this period, she produced numerous bronze sculptures. With Pierre Dreyfus, she founded a corporate film production company, one of whose films won an award at the Biarritz Festival in 1987. The couple had three children. The tragic death of their youngest son in 1992 pro - foundly changed their lives, and the family relocated to Basel. Patricia Dreyfus then left industrial film production to devote herself entirely to her artistic work. Following her separation, she has lived and worked in Berlin since 2012.
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)
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 #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)