Held in Motion
Meditative Practices in Contemporary Abstraction and Illustration Exhibition
Featuring works by Clara Berta and Chenhung Chen
January 17 – March 1, 2026
Opening Reception, January 17, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
At the core of two exceptional artists’ practices is a belief in art as a form of meditation. Each artist engages with materials through repetitive, intuitive actions that quiet the mind and heighten awareness; Chi, breath, intuition, and emotional release. Despite cultural and formal differences, both bodies of work emerge from a search for harmony and healing.
Clara Berta, from Laguna Beach, creates large-scale works that evoke both the vitality and tranquility of the natural world. Water is a central and enduring influence, linking her Hungarian heritage—where thermal springs are revered for their healing properties—to the vast, kinetic presence of the ocean. Her paintings are built through layered processes: airbrushed base tones establish depth, followed by poured and manipulated paint that generates a sense of flow, buoyancy, and dynamic movement.
“My process is one of intuition, clearing the mind of preconceived notions of the final image while I work and allowing my thoughts and emotions to guide my movements. I add layer upon layer until I reach a compositional harmony between color, form, and negative space.”
Berta’s work has been exhibited and collected internationally and featured in major film and television productions.
See attached clip from a 2025 Super Bowl commercial which featured her piece: “Island” and which will be included in this exhibit.
https://tinyurl.com/cbsuperbowl – YouTube video of Ray-Ban Meta ad from Super Bowl LIX
https://tinyurl.com/cbertapress – Press from Clara’s website
Taiwanese-American Chenhung Chen, is showing her 2020 Vision series. During the pandemic, she developed a body of collage and mixed-media drawings inspired by the National Audubon Society Guide to Birds. The careful act of liberating hundreds of birds from the pages became a meditative, soothing process, calming her nerves in a time of high anxiety and tension.
Grounded in Taoist concepts of Chi and balance between opposing forces, Chen’s work reflects a process-driven practice that bridges ancient craft traditions, daily materials, and a contemporary Taiwanese-American identity. Fluid movement throughout her work mirrors the flow of energy within the self and the world at large.
“Rooted in the belief of the universal nature of human beings and drawing from my connections with the urban environment and ancient craft traditions, my work negotiates spaces of cultural, environmental, psychological, and temporal change. By using an array of commonplace objects, my art seeks to discover the link between one’s personal narrative and our collective humanity.”
Attached works:
Clara Berta – Circle of Life, Acrylic on canvas, 55 x 92 inches
Chenhung Chen, 2020 Vision #18, Pencil, color pencil, marker, found objects & collage on paper, 22 x 30 inches
Chenhung Chen, 2020 Vision #16, Pencil, color pencil, marker, found objects & collage on paper, 22 x 30 inches
Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art gallery
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