) is a Bay Area based professional artist, originally from Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally in galleries, museums, public exhibitions as well as belonging to major collections such as the Trump and Marriott Hotels.

Life and education

Monika Steiner was born in 1972 in Bern, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. She received her initial education from Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, earned recognition for her work as a goldsmith in Interlaken

Interlaken

Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and was awarded a Teaching Credential from the University of Bern. She worked in Bern as a school teacher for a while. Later she moved to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and enrolled in the Art program at Sonoma State University

Sonoma State University

Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...

. She received her BFA

BFA

BFA may refer to:*Burkina Faso *Bachelor of Fine Arts*Bahamas Football Association*Back From Ashes, a rock metal band from Phoenix, Arizona*Banco de Fomento Angola, an Angolan bank*Barbados Football Association...

 (magna cum laude) in painting

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

 in the year 2005 from the university.

Currently she resides in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 and the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

where she teaches painting and works on her painting and sculpting.

Work

Monika Steiner uses surfacing and dissolving shapes to create a metaphor for the cycle of appearances arising out of, then returning to, states of pure potential.

Steiner has always been profoundly interested in the unseen aspects of life — reading a lot about metaphysics and meditating, becoming fascinated by how abstract art expresses what can’t be understood by the eyes and mind yet can be clearly felt. Steiner contemplates the concept of interconnectedness of all things until it takes form as an interesting visual abstraction. The work gains richness and complexity as successive layers of paint are added.

Quotes

My ultimate intention with painting is that the space between the surface of the work and the viewer's perception of it will become a mirror of their own mind.

I truly believe that art should be an outer reflection of our inner most feelings and thoughts. The best art is coming from a place that is truthful and sincere.

I am attracted to spheres because they are nature’s most efficient shape, and to me the most perfect and elegant three-dimensional object — conjuring entities as massive as planets all the way down to the shape of subatomic particles.

Solo Exhibitions

• 2011 Janine Bean Gallery, Two Person Exhibit, Berlin, Germany
• 2011 Tercera Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2011 Public exhibition, Museum Park, San Francisco, CA
• 2010 SAM, Seattle Art Museum Taste Rest. / SAM Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2010 Bella Feldman, Monika Steiner, Nancy Otto, Micaela Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2010 ENZO, SOMA Grand, San Francisco, CA
• 2010 Intangible Reflections, Apothiki Gallery, Paros, Greece
• 2009 EQUINOX, Maturango Museum, Ridgecrest, CA
• 2009 LUCID, Consulate General of Switzerland, San Francisco, CA
• 2009 Off the wall, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2009 The Space between Thoughts, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, CA
• 2008 RETURN, Museum of Boenigen, Switzerland
• 2008 NOW, City Hall, Santa Rosa, CA
• 2008 Sculptures, Marji Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
• 2008 Meditacion, 425 Market, Jan Casey, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 LINES & FORMS, Geras- Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 UNFOLDING, The Wine Emporium, Sebastopol, CA
• 2007 Trium Group, Curator Jan Casey, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 CONFLUENCE, Bank of America Building, Plaza Gallery, Curator Jan Casey, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 PHOTOGRAPHY & SCULPTURE, Geras-Tousignant Gallery
• 2006 FUSION, 50 California, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Convention Plaza, Curator Jan Casey, San Francisco, CA
• 2005 SYMBIOSIS, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2004 TRANSFORMATION, Swissnex, Swiss Consulate, San Francisco, CA

Group Exhibitions

• 2011 San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, CA, “California Sculpture SLAM”
• 2011 West Coast Biennial, Turtle Bay Museum, Redding, CA
• 2011 Sylvia White Gallery, Annual Juried Show, Ventura, CA
• 2011 Artistic Voyage, Lark Gallery, Yorba Linda, CA
• 2011 Heroes & Hearts, SFGH Foundation, San Francisco, CA
• 2011 Assi Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 2010 Seattle Art Museum Gallery, SAM, Summer Introductions, Seattle, WA
• 2010 Reaching Inside, Honorable Mention, Lark Gallery, Long Beach, CA
• 2010 Four Squared, ARC Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2010 No Boundaries, intl. Art Exhibit, A Muse Gallery, Columbus, OH
• 2010 Spring Show, Marji Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
• 2010 Art Walk, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2009 Indoor sculpture exhibition, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA
• 2009 ASTO Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
• 2009 Winter Salon, Micaela Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2009 Hidden Treasures, Phantom Gallery, Long Beach, Los Angeles, CA
• 2009 12 Year Anniversary, Erickson Fine Art, Healdsburg, CA
• 2009 The Grid, Geras- Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2009 Millennium Tower Icons of Design, Curator: Allyce-Miller, San Francisco, CA
• 2009 20th Ann. Gala, Alliance Francaise’s Gallery, Boston, MA
• 2009 MCBG Sculpture Gallery, Juried Show, Mendocino, CA
• 2009 Gallery Route One Juried Show, Reyes, CA
• 2009 Bay Area Council Exhibit, Westin St. Francis, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 10 Year Anniversary, A Muse Gallery, Columbus, OH
• 2008 Group Show, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 Gallery Route One Juried Show, PT Reyes, CA
• 2007 Traces, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Marin, CA
• 2007 Sculpture, The Third Dimension, Juried Exhibition Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA
• 2007 Falkirk Bay Area Juried Exhibition, San Rafael, CA
• 2007 Group Show, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Artsfest Spectra Ball, Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
• 2007 Oceana, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Group Show, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Invitational Show, Arts Guild of Sonoma, CA
• 2005 BFA Exhibition, Sonoma State University, CA
• 2005 Sky, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2005 In the Abstract, All-Media Juried Exhibit, Sebastopol, CA
• 2005 Fall Showcase, Northbay Artworks, Novato, CA
• 2004 Visualizing Democracy, Juried Show, Sonoma State University, CA
• 2004 Miniature, Geras-Tousignant Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2004 Juried Student Exhibition, Sonoma State University, CA
• 2004 Into the Deep, Zebulon, Petaluma, CA

Awards

• 2012 Berlin Film Festival, paintings selected for the Movie: "Five Ways to Kill a Man"
• 2011 Heroes & Hearts, selected for large public sculpture commission, SF General Hospital Foundation, CA
• 2010 Artist in Residence, Apothiki Gallery, Paros, Greece
• 2010 Honorable Mention, "Reaching Inside" Long Beach Galleries, CA
• 2009 First Place, Lark Gallery, online competition, LA
• 2004 Swiss Talents, Swissnex, San Francisco, CA

Major Collections

• Trump Hotel, Panama City, Panama
• JW Marriott Hotel Ankara, in Ankara, Turkey
• The Ashlyn Deyer Foundation
• Maturango Museum, Permanent Collection, Ridgecrest, CA
• Susan Landauer, Chief Curator of San Jose Museum of Art, CA
• The Deputy Consul General of Switzerland Mr. Francesco Ottolini
• Ron Gutman, Founder / CEO of HealthTap, TEDx SiliconValley, Palo Alto, California
• H. Buchs, Curator of Museum of Boenigen, Switzerland
• Keller & Heckman LLP, San Francisco, CA
• Pascal Mamin, Director of RUAG, Switzerland
• Gina Locurio, executive producer, Umlaut Films, San Francisco, CA
• John Jaber, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley, San Francisco, CA
• John and Erin Lowenberg, San Francisco, CA
• Stefan Schneeberger, CEO, PWS, Switzerland
• Christine and Paul Tantsis, Australia

Visiting Artist Lectures

• 2011 Stanford University, TEDx Conference, Silicon Valley, CA
• 2011 Lecture, Sonoma State University, CA
• 2010 Apothiki Gallery, Artist Residency, Paros, Greece
• 2009 Maturango Museum, Ridgecrest, CA
• 2004 Swissnex, Swiss Consulate, San Francisco, CA