Katherine Bernhardt, Sharks, Plantains, and Cigarettes (2015) all photos courtesy Venus Over Manhattan
Painter Katherine Bernhardt has created an exhibition of work inspired by her recent residency in Puerto Rico, taking inspiration and encouragement from the landscape and artists of the city as her muse, and translating them into the artist’s signature hand.  Having met the Puerto Rican twins behind the wildly inventive collective Poncili Creacion, Bernhardt was inspired by the group’s inventive, colorful practice (which often includes live puppets and inventive, massive structures).  In her exhibition, she presents this experience in an outpouring of color and form, a way to document her journeys in Puerto Rico and her new connections through her familiar techniques, embracing the animals and the objects she encountered on her trip as well as the novel commodities she stumbled upon.  Covering the floors of the gallery with coffee bags from Puerto Rico, Bernhardt transforms the gallery space to convey a semblance of her Caribbean residency.
Katherine Bernhardt, Pablo and Efrain (Installation View)
Bernhardt’s vibrant paintings are quite large, and work well with the beaming fluorescents above to illuminate the space. Walking on the flattened bags, which act as wall to wall carpeting, provides a slight crunch with every step throughout the gallery, and fills the gallery with a special aroma that feels fresh and tropical.  Approaching each painting, there is a painterly hand similar to early impressionist explorations, but with Bernhardt’s familiar hodgepodge of content.  Incorporating the birds, sharks, cigarettes and fruits she encountered in Puerto Rico, she brings the physical pieces of her trip back with her in this exhibition, showcasing her experiences in the language of consumed goods and creatures seen.  Her imagination wanders, and allows for her to create versatile collages within the large canvases.
Katherine Bernhardt, Jungle Food (2015), courtesy Venus Over Manhattan
As Bernhardt’s curiosities wander across her canvases, so too does her color palette. Many of the colors puddle together as Bernhardt races to achieve her imaginative assemblages of imagery.  At times, the paint on the canvas is heavy, in other instances it seems so light that it barely covers the texture of the original backing.  Her painterly gestures are aggressive and often feel slapdash, yet the full culmination of her creations always reaches a balanced whole here.
Katherine Bernhardt, Pablo and Efrain (Installation View)
A tinge of the Caribbean is distinctly felt here, a testament to Bernhardt’s success, and puts all senses to use in the pursuit of the artist’s own memories of the island.  Pablo and Efrain will be on view at Venus Over Manhattan until October 24th, 2015.
— A. Zlotowitz
Read more:
Katherine Bernhardt: Pablo and Efrain [Venus Over Manhattan]
