Jean-Baptiste Bernadet

The abstract paintings of Jean-Baptiste Bernadet integrate the chance of John Cage’s compositions into a structure that is formally defined by his own parameters. The artist seeks ways in which the contemporary canvas might distance itself from prior movements such as Expressionism or Impressionism. Bernadet works in series, expanding upon how a specified mark or structure within his canvas might be altered by chance, and with individual works that are fast and loose, manipulating the capacity for a direct expressive gesture. An origin point such as metallic residue or blurring color exposes contradictions between painting’s history and a painting’s ability to embody it’s own psychological history. The artist seeks to individualize the gesture of painting despite it being seeped in historical associations.

Bernadet has exhibited at Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Brussels, Wiels Contemporary Art Center, Brussels, Ecole Supérieure d'Art de Metz, France, among other international venues. He won the Laureate Young Belgian Art Prize in 2013 and first prize at the Art’Contest in Brussels in 2005, among others. He has been awarded a number of residencies at institutions including the Chianti Foundation, Marfa, Texas, Triangle Studios, Brooklyn, La Pratique, France, and Fondation Albert Gleizes, France. Since 2011 he has published several artist’s books with Karma, Triangle Books, and several other publishers.