christy roberts berkowitz

Artist, musician, writer, educator, agitator, and emotional laborer, christy roberts berkowitz, composes experiences, images, and objects that interrogate personal and collective constructions of power. A third generation Southern Californian and University of La Verne Faculty member since 2015, roberts berkowitz holds Bachelor degrees in philosophy and religion, a BFA in studio art, both from ULV, and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University.

In Jewish tradition, Lilith was the first womxn, created in tandem with Adam in the garden of Eden. Lilith and Adam, being equally strong, autonomous, and powerful, fought often, especially about the roles they should play in creation. Lilith, according to rabbinical tales, was so fed up, she left Eden and became a demon that rabbis used to say would steal and eat children.

Literally demonizing Lilith’s power and autonomy served to create a framework for Jewish patriarchy, punishing womxn who defied patriarchal rules and laws and creating associations between evil and womxn’s autonomy. By choosing to be Lilith in this series, roberts berkowitz embodies Jewish feminism in a number of ways, primarily by questioning what we have traditionally thought of as evil and subsequently challenging who determines these categories and why.

The DIY tutorial nature of the works references "homemaking" tiktok and youtube videos, camouflaging their subversive content. The expected "set" of the reference videos (generally filmed in a kitchen, home office, or workshop) is also subverted by presenting the work in a void, embracing the unknown potential of both art and rebellion.

The Lilith series is ongoing and will resume, when time allows, with more episodes.