With an individual style of expression, Swedish artist Emma Bernhard (b. 1981) subtly blends dynamism and tranquility. The Stockholm-born artist, who studied philosophy, painting and sculpture1, creates artworks that stand out in their unassuming simplicity.
Although she identifies herself more as a sculptor than a painter, a large part of her work focuses on painting. Bernhard’s works are abstract and detached from all representational. In her paintings, color and shape become the characteristic elements of her work: dynamic strokes of color that move across the canvas and become unidentifiable forms, sometimes on individual canvases, sometimes spread across diptychs or triptychs.
Sometimes we see broad, black brushstrokes, sometimes white ones, only streaked with subtle, colored accents. In other works, upon closer inspection, we see ultra-thin cotton threads, delicately and precisely placed. For Bernhard, her paintings are “sculptural”,2 which highlights the spatial quality of her works.
Yet all of her works reveal a visible tension between movement and stillness. Despite the dynamic gestures, Bernhard creates calm overall compositions. Her mostly large-scale paintings radiate stillness and peace, reminding me of Shodō, Japanese calligraphy. Although they are strongly expressive, most of her paintings remain deliberately nameless. This underlines her conceptual intentions while honoring the pure visual character of her work.
In her sculptures, Emma Bernhard focuses on how we perceive, interpret, and ascribe different meanings and identities to objects depending on their context. (You can see some of her sculptures here) She often draws on elements that, at first glance, serve no obvious purpose and regularly reuses them in her works. Her fascination with the materials used is particularly pronounced. In Bernhard’s hands, seemingly insignificant elements receive a new meaning. She brings these materials into a new context through her work without changing them, thus giving them a story of their own.
Emma Bernhard’s work is infused with fascinating philosophical depth. Her feeling for materials and the subtle tension between dynamics and tranquility make her work something very special.
Further Reading
- https://eriknordenhake.com/emma-bernhard/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlJM_O85ACE&ab_channel=PeerEriksson
All images: https://jacobbjorngallery.com/artists/emma-bernhard
