Morena+bamberger+schunck

Meet: Morena Bamberger

Morena Bamberger (28) is one of the nominees for the Parkstad Limburg Prize. With her work, she puts herself in a vulnerable position, and wants to encourage others to do the same.  

In a world where everyone is quick to judge and few people really dare to be themselves, there is Morena Bamberger's refreshing counterpoint. Everything she does and makes radiates authenticity; she works purely on intuition and feeling. Her work is difficult to describe; she masters many crafts and combines them eagerly. Whatever she makes, it is always done from a meditative state. Her Sinti origin and clairvoyant gifts mean she regularly finds herself in another reality. "The intangible world is as present as the wind. It is there, and everyone feels it, but you cannot see it," she explains. Her work consists of paintings, sculptures, stories, sounds, scents and more. It is all-encompassing.

The artist graduated from the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design in 2018. This was immediately followed by a busy period: she exhibited in one exhibition after another, from the Beurs van Berlage to a residency in Leeuwarden. When the covid period arrived, everything came to a standstill; not only in terms of work, but also in her 'being'. It brought time for reflection and contemplation; she decided to only take on projects that created an upward spiral of energy. "The love and time and energy I put into my work was not reciprocated. This ensured that it never came full circle and I became emotionally exhausted."

Ever since a little girl, Morena experienced the world in an intuitive and highly sensitive way, she could sense and help people well. "After many personal events, my passion to help and coach people naturally developed alongside my artistry. Actually entirely in fusion. As an intuitive healer and coach, I want to stimulate people's inner world, just like I do with my installations on an outer level. On the one hand, I offer people support with this, but at the same time it gives me new inspiration for my visual art. That goes hand in hand."

With Limburg, Morena has a lot going on. Born and raised in Roermond, she now lives and works from Well, northern Limburg. "My family all live in Limburg, I like it there. I also have no intention of ever leaving here. People always keep yearning for their birthplace, is my experience." When asked about what makes her work so different, she answers very firmly. "I want to convey a very important message. Especially in these times, it is important for people to turn deep inside, and stay close to themselves. I want to be an example in that, and also carry that out in my work. I am always myself, and I am not ashamed of that. My work is a call for vulnerability and risk-taking; I dare, so why not you?"

To illustrate this message, Morena will display sculptures from her installation 'Canis Lunatic' at SCHUNCK. "The sculptures are aliens, of a self-appointed new race. They reflect the intangible, agility, which is symbolised by the threads connected to the environment. The threads represent the pure energy of our lost sensory abilities and spiritual connections to the universe. It is my desire to be reconnected to our hidden senses, with which we can stand and feel together on a deeper layer."