Artist Profile – Daniela Soberman

Daniela Soberman, an artist self-taught in art and sculpture, is best known for her immersive architectural-scale sculptures inspired by her childhood memories in Serbia and Los Angeles’ brutalist architecture. Her pieces combine these influences in one work.

Wonzimer Gallery presents Beautiful, Not Pretty, an exciting group exhibition by five female sculptural artists curated by Aidan Nelson and Alaia Parhizi that inspires wonder.

Early Life and Education

Soberman was raised in Los Angeles while making frequent trips to former Yugoslavia for visits, where her work is heavily influenced by its bold socialist-avant garde architecture and fearless aesthetic. These influences continue to shape her work today when simulating lost urban landscapes.

Her interlocking structures evoke weathered stone, ruins and cookies bite by giant gods; she uses plaster and other compulsive materials to build these monumental edifices.

This intimate body of works redefines the balance between structure and uninhibited expression. She employs builderly methods with expressive hollows and gestural events for maximum expression – drawing inspiration from sculptors such as Doris Salcedo and installation artists such as Shirley Tse – while sharing a lineage with architects such as Keywan Tafteh who share an interest in architecture-focused art forms like Keywan Tafteh whose practice continues to evolve over time.

Professional Career

Daniela Soberman has built her career over a decade through her stunning sculptural works. A self-taught artist, her practice is driven by a desire to express pure moments of emotion using various materials that resemble weathered stone or ruin structures.

Her works often draw upon the experiences she’s had as a first-generation Serbian American, using them to explore her identity and the dichotomy between structure and uninhibited expression.

Soberman has displayed her work at various museums nationwide throughout her career. Most recently, Soberman installed an architectural-scale sculpture at Long Beach Museum of Art which took over one year to construct and will remain available for public viewing until November 5.

Personal Life

Daniela Soberman is a self-taught artist who uses various materials, such as clay and styrofoam, to craft sculptures that express emotions or personal experiences. Soberman has participated in both solo and group exhibitions across the country.

Her artwork draws heavily upon memories of growing up in Los Angeles’ working class immigrant neighborhoods and travels to former Yugoslavia. When creating her pieces, she strives to tap into that same feeling of fearlessness and rebellion she experienced as a child.

She draws influence from the modernism she encountered there, evident by de/constructivist edges and expressive hollows found throughout her works. Furthermore, she uses builderly methods and interstitial materials.