Tamara Berlin explores the "enchanted gaze" of childhood, drawing on her upbringing in both New York and Israel to reconstruct defining moments and overlooked spaces. Her work focuses on the "in-between" - neglected backyards, quiet courtyards, and suburban margins that ordinary observers might dismiss as decaying artifacts. Through her art, these ordinary environments are transformed back into the imaginative, enchanted realms they once were.
Utilizing the versatile nature of soft pastels, Berlin captures the contrast between the harsh textures of concrete and the soft edges of vegetation and sky. The medium’s unique ability to produce both emotive marks and luminous pigments allows her to balance rawness with light. By playing with sharp edges and lost forms, she mirrors the dualities of her themes: the intersection of memory and reality, and the enduring connection between the urban landscape and the child's imagination.