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