Featured Exhibition at Transmission Gallery Oakland:
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Robin L. Bernstein
Beauty and Terror, Part 2
Robin L. Bernstein, The White Rose, string and wax on wood, 42" x 33"
September 22 - November 5
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Thousands of cut pieces of string go into each intricate piece in Robin L. Bernstein's work now on view in Beauty and Terror, Part 2, at Transmission Gallery in Oakland. Comprised of eight recent pieces, Part 2 is a continuation of Bernstein's 2019 exhibition at Transmission Gallery Oakland, commemorating little known events of the Holocaust, along with stories of redemption and courage. Beauty and Terror, Part 1, is on view concurrently at Vargas Gallery at Mission College in Santa Clara through November 8th. Don't miss seeing the work in person if you can.
Consider for a moment, each piece in the series is researched to the smallest detail, the design carefully considered and then the shaped outline cut out of birch plywood with the design elements drawn onto it. Next comes a coating of wax mixed with a stabilizing substance and then, meticulously, reverently, piece by piece, Bernstein presses colored string into the rich and honeyed surface in a painstaking process that ultimately brings an incredible beauty and presence to the work, richly honoring the memory of those who suffered and died in atrocity in the Holocaust and reminding us to pay attention and stand up with courage against tyranny. Regarding the exhibition, Bernstein says, "The good news is that political art and art around themes of social justice continue to find audiences, and the makers are not jailed, exiled, or dead!" Scroll down to see more of the work and links to publications and press. |
