Martin Bernstein: Touchstones

November 11 - December 17,2023

From Koelsch Gallery: "Enter the mind of Martin Bernstein in his first-ever exhibition with koelsch gallery in Touchstones, debuting Saturday, November 11th, 2023. The multi-disciplinary artist tells a never-ending story of self-discovery through his mastered works of installation, painting, sculpture, and jeweled objects. Join us for a harmonious display connected by its many mediums and countless narratives, told through trendils of beads and cords and lights alike, intertwined and meandered like vines left to their own devices for a lifetime. With some elements dancing together and some standing alone, Bernstein creates a universe of infinite imagination, playfully taking the viewer through an open-ended story full of ideas, thoughts, dreams, innuendos, and possibilities - bridging the gap between fantasy and reality. Bernstein's array of one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces, are produced with an organic nature that physically accentuates movement and sensuality while presenting a profile like no other. His jewelry and jeweled objects are made with pearls and rough-cut gems that are delicately intertwined in tri-colored palladium chains of the finest and most delicate 14k white, rose, yellow gold, and sterling silver. With no two alike, his jewelry presents itself with apparent individuality and has the power to stand alone as their own works of art. He works from scratch with fine, raw elements that continuously echo the natural world. His materials consist of fine pearls from the high-quality freshwaters of the South Sea and Keshi, along with vibrant diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, aquamarine, beryls, black opals, tourmalines, tanzanite, and more. These adornments are hand-crafted intuitively by Bernstein - who approaches their design with no prior plan but rather a stream of consciousness. He believes that the jewelry we wear has the capability of serving as an outer signal to the inner light and hidden treasures that exist within. His pieces help reflect and declare their wearer's individuality. Martin Bernstein majored in painting and photography at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the late 1970s. Upon graduating, he focused on creating geometric paintings with linear motifs that wrapped around the edges of three-dimensional canvases. But Bernstein never felt as if being an artist referred to any particular medium. Instead, it was a state of mind; a way that he filtered the world. Restrictions of geometric painting became too controlling over the freedom of expression he seemed to be searching for. The physical structure of the conventional canvas interfered far too much with his creativity; it felt neither necessary nor fulfilling to limit himself to a framed rectangle on a wall. This physical restriction was paralleled by his attempt to navigate societal norms and the constraints such things place on one's individuality. In time, he began to move beyond the canvas completely and allowed his expressive form to touch the physical surrounding objects and environment. His environment became his canvas. Dots, splashes, and lines of color shape-shifted into three-dimensional objects: bubbles, beads, strings, and chains, manifesting into a literal, physical sense of paint flying through the air. How does one free themselves from the constraints of the world around them? Through fantasy? Dreaming? Praying? Perhaps, Bernstein created the world he wished to live in: a realm that knows no boundaries; a world of wonder that provides anyone who enters it the power to become whoever and whatever they wish to be. In opposition to just being an observer or remaining as a separate entity from the piece, Bernstein enables the viewer to become enveloped within his installation, transforming the audience member from a mere bystander to an essential piece in a moving picture. This process of immersion illuminates more information for the viewer and permits them to enter the psyche of the work. "Just as dreams or free associations can unveil subconscious motivations behind the waking life, I choose to use my work as a map to decipher my own personal motivations. By interpreting my own footsteps, I find it possible to secure an understanding of the underlying motivations that guide my trek along the pathway of life." For any inquries, please contact anise@koelschgallery.com"

Reception: November 11, 2023 | 5-8 pm

Artist talk: December 16, 2023 | 4-5 pm

koelsch gallery 1020 Peden Street
Houston, TX 77006
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