RICHARD BERNARDIN

"We live in a world obsessed with beauty and perfection, of facades that we have erected in order to hide what we really are, our feelings, fears, and our weaknesses. That is to say, we are living a double life: our inner selves are only seeking to be and our egos suppress what we really are out of fear." - Richard Bernardin

The human drama, the complexity of being and the infinite diversity of life are the themes treated in the work of Richard Bernardin. One finds there characters who are incredulous and torn by this subconscious battle, as well as mysterious places, full of symbols austere and cold, provoking a profound reflection on the self and the range of powerful emotions sleeping behind our veiled facades.

He approaches photography not in the way of random, raw instants, but rather by way of an intuitive staging of moments; these moments come from his memories of childhood, dreams and personal experiences. Although these images communicate the prerogative of the artist, they can be recognized as having passed through our own existences at some point or another. The characters, like the light and atmosphere of the places they inhabit, are elements sought after in order to channel the experience of the personal and are simply facets of ourselves. It is in this way that photography is as much a medium for creation as for introspection.

Richard Bernardin started his career in photography twelves years ago in Montreal by taking snapshots of young Quebec artists. Heavily influenced by the films of Cassavetes, Hitchcock and Kubrick, Richard takes a style very cinematographic in nature. In May 2000, during his first trip to New York, he was invited to participate in the prestigious International Fashion Festival in Kobe, Japan, during which he was nominated for an award in the category "Best Discovery: Fashion Photography."

Since this time, Richard has presented his work in several expositions around the world before finally settling in Montreal. He has accumulated numerous honors, of which are the Lux Canada and Lux Quebec (2001 and 2002, respectively), as well as the Grand Prize of Applied Arts. Since then, he is working on various projects, including his first short film and a book.(Galerie SAS)

☁ RICHARD BERNARDIN
☁ RICHARD BERNARDIN @ GALERIE SAS