Irina Birger by Marcel van der Vlugt
Irina Birger explores the boundaries of identity, psychology, and mystical imagery in everyday life. In recent years, her practice has shifted from primarily drawing, video, and performance to focusing on painting.
Her work is deeply rooted in the theme of connectivity—the ongoing tension and dialogue between the individual (herself) and the collective.
Growing up in the Soviet Union, Birger experienced the powerful mechanisms of propaganda that repressed independent thought and inquiry. Its visual systems—rooted in Socialist Realism and Stalinist Imperial architecture—left a profound mark on her artistic vision. Their monumental compositions evoke both admiration and submission, much like sacred structures. This experience fostered Birger’s enduring fascination with the visual strategies and formal principles of religions and cults. Central symmetry, repetition, patterns, slogans, and a monumental approach frequently appear throughout her work.
Each of Birger’s projects develops its own internal logic and visual language, often culminating in installations that combine different media and spatial intervention. Her practice continually examines how images construct collective memory, identity, and belief systems.
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Irina Birger was born in Moscow and lived in Serbia as a teenager. She received a BFA from the Bezalel Academy of Fine Art and Design in Jerusalem and an MFA from the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, where she is currently based.
Birger exhibited a.o. in Israel Museum (IL), Tel Aviv Museum (IL), Haifa Museum of Art (IL), Mediamatic (NL), W139 (NL), Apexart (US), the Israeli Centre for Digital Art (IL), Today Art Museum (CN), Redtory (CN), Preview Berlin Art Fair (DE), Blue Oyster Art Project Space (NZ), Drawing Center Diepenheim (NL), Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (NL), Kabinet T (CZ), Nieuw Dakota (NL), Amsterdam Drawing (NL), Viborg Kunsthal (DK), AMNUA (CN), Q21 (AT), Het Hem (NL), Kunsthal Kade (NL), Arti et Amicitiae (NL), Museum Tot Zover (NL) and Schloss Biesdorf (DE).
Her works are part of numerous private and public collections, such as Haaretz Art Collection (IL), Israel Museum (IL), C-Collection (Lichtenstein), EYE Collection (NL), Spoorbeeld (NL), CBK Zuidoost (NL), and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (NL).
Birger was an artist in residency at a.o. Chinese European Art Centre (CN), the Israeli Center for Digital Art (IL), MeetFactory (CZ), Künstlerhaus Bethanien (DE), and MuseumsQuartier (AT).
She accomplished projects for public spaces assigned by ProRail (Dutch Railways) in 2015 and by the Municipality of Utrecht in collaboration with TextielLab (Tilburg) in 2020.
© 2025 Irina Birger unless otherwise stated. Image and text may not be used without the prior permission of the copyright holder.