Luminous worlds of softness, ritual and celebration.
Biography
Rachel Berkowitz is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, photography and performance. Raised in London and now based in Los Angeles, she creates luminous, emotionally charged works that explore the interplay of nature, light and human connection. Her imagery draws on themes of biophilia, femininity, movement and mental transformation, blending references to classical art history with contemporary color, gesture and atmosphere. A graduate of UCLA’s Fine Art program (2016), Berkowitz has developed a visual language that merges the romantic nostalgia of London with the high saturation and atmospheric glow of Los Angeles. Her work has been exhibited widely across the United States and Europe, appearing in solo and group showcases in galleries, art fairs and in private art collections. Her live art performances have graced Paris Fashion Week as well as luxury event spaces worldwide. She has participated in numerous prestigious international artist residencies, including the La Napoule Art Foundation in France, and her work has received awards in juried exhibitions and featured in art publications. Alongside her studio practice, Berkowitz directs æsthetíque studio in downtown Los Angeles, a creative hub dedicated to accessible art education, community engagement and experimental performance. She regularly leads art workshops and hosts community-driven art therapy events that center joy, connection and emotional well-being. Her ongoing series “Life is Soirée” reimagines Rococo softness through a contemporary feminine lens, celebrating leisure, beauty and emotional sanctuary as essential states of being. Across all disciplines, Berkowitz’s work invites viewers into worlds of softness, delight and expansive inner life.
Artistic approach
Artist Statement: “Life is Soirée” “Life is Soirée” is a series that celebrates leisure, beauty and the playful rhythm of being alive. Initially inspired by Rococo masters, Rachel Berkowitz reinterprets their ornate sensibilities through a feminine lens, transforming historical ideas of overbearing abundance into a welcoming acceptance. She has always been drawn to timeless leisure rituals like high tea, wandering through flower gardens and hosting dinner parties for friends, viewing these centuries-old activities as reminders that joy is a form of wellness and that living fully keeps us vibrant. Dance is central to her vision as it is when she feels the most free. Each painting mirrors that sensation through choreographed movement, swirling fabrics and color stories that unfold like full albums rather than singular songs. Her process is immersive and interdisciplinary, shaped by painting, photography and live art performance. She draws from art history, travel, fashion, nature and the dual energies of London and Los Angeles, merging historical depth with contemporary glow. Influenced by the sensory pleasure of shared gatherings, the work positions pleasure as nourishment rather than indulgence. Each piece functions as a sigil, a visual anchor designed to support longevity by reconnecting viewers with what restores the body, mind and spirit. Rachel's grandmother insists that her longevity comes from surrounding herself with friends and savoring the small luxuries of life, especially her beloved ritual of enjoying a daily dessert. Subtle dissolving forms and pixelated window moments acknowledge the urgency and digital overload of modern life, offering instead a counter-world where slowness, ease and poetic pleasure become acts of resistance. Through whimsical gestures, biophilic inspiration and emotional softness, “Life is Soirée” becomes a sanctuary that celebrates pleasure, presence and inner transformation, inviting viewers to live not in anticipation of joy, but inside it.