"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

Artist and TI contributer has been proselyting for Katherine Bernhardt for a good year and a half now. And with good cause! Here are his exclsuive snaps and his personal evaluation of Katherine's latest show at Canada Gallery.

"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

Katherine Bernhardt's current show entitled "Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George at Canada Gallery" is a real stunner. Because I missed the opening, Katherine was kind enough to meet a friend and I at the gallery to see the show, catch up and
show us her recently published book (it's genius). Without the distraction of the opening night crowd and before the day' s visiting public, I was able to spend ,quiet time with the work. I love when the visual arts, new music, great porn, a great book, great sex or a fantastic meal, make my knees weak and disorient me. A state I revel in and thrive on. Katherine took me there.

"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

The work is brave, because she is brave. How she managed to find the balance between being emotionally open and layered while at the same time, combine all of that with a real mastery of monumental scale, is beyond me. The spontaneity is dead on. Do you know how
difficult it is to appear to be both in and out of control at the same time? Much less put it on canvas. If you have any doubts try it or rather just contemplate it your mind for a minute .... It's difficult! Fucking crazy splashy in areas, dripping in masses of melded color in others, how certain areas were layered into something I can't explain but really understand and all with the control, intelligence and confidence that just makes everything feel like motion, while still under a steady hand. Cubist, Fauvist, and Expressionist tendencies filtered through the wildest fashion party ever (oops they don't exist), mixed, then remixed. Kanye West's song STRONGER comes to mind. My knees were made weak, she took me back to my roots.

"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

Fashion Illustration came to mind or rather my old relationship to it. Katherine is definitely rooted and invested 100% in the history and the on going discourse of the fine arts but there are similarities to the field. They occupy parallel but distant worlds bridged by Warhol (he was a fashion illustrator pre-Pop). The use of line and color and their relationship to the expressionistic gesture, Combined with the use of the same line as performative action through which expression is expressed is the thing that unites both worlds . Obviously Katherine has taken it much further into realms and galaxies uncharted by any fashion Illustrator. Both Antonio Lopez and Tony Viramontes tried ( I'm still looking for that Italian Vogue 20-30 page supplement Viramontes did for Valentino in the early 8o's — holla! ). I am sure, if Vanity magazine (Italy 80's under Anna Piaggi) were still around, they would have commissioned a complete issue or two (back to front)
from Katherine the way they did with Antonio Lopez or maybe consider Joe Eula's 10 year+ legendary contract with Italian Bazzar. Seems like the Italians were really invested. The work of Rene Bouche and Eric (Carl Erickson) also come to mind as well (revival anyone). I am sure they are all looking down from Fashion heaven and cheering Katherine Bernhardt's considerable achievements along with the rest of us.

"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

"Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye and George": PH: Jayson Keeling

Katherine Bernhardt
Kate, Giselle, Natalia, Agyness, Simon, Kanye & George
April 24 - June 1, 2008 Thursday April 24, 2008
6 - 9 PM