Audrey S. Bernstein

Sight Unseen

I photograph to gather evidence and paint to create meaning.

My most recent work is a combination of painting and photography.  I create collages from a variety of sources, -- my own photographs, found objects, old letters, and text.  The collage is printed on canvas; and then I paint over the entire surface with oil paint. 

This collection challenges the traditional definitions of “portraiture” and encourages us to reconsider its meaning.  The subjects in these paintings become enigmatic figures that stretch the boundaries of “identity” and encourage us to reconsider its meaning.  Reality and illusion are as complex as painting and photography and more important, definitions of who we are and how people see us.

I work in mixed media to accentuate the fine line between truth and fiction, evidence and illusion.

Placing people into generic categories such as we do today cannot possibly but scratch the surface of what true identity is. It is an enigma innate in each and every human being. Iconic subjects become enigmatic figures that push the boundaries of convention -- reminding us that the politics of identity is at the very least ambiguous, if not completely impossible to decipher.