The works presented in ‘Expended Minds’ portray ethereal reflections on a dream-like and colourful world. Canvases burst with fantastical colours and looming figures that float against vivid marbled backgrounds. There is a note of suspension as these figures appear frozen in a moment of time, contextualised only by the shadows that anchor them to their uncanny environment. Bernini’s surreal works act almost as portals into alternate universes invoking a sense of excitement, mystery and inspiring the most basic instinct of discovery. Through the exploration of these strange utopias we see an eerie beauty in the work of Romain Bernini as he presents an indeterminate world, suspended like a dream in silent ecstasy.
The theme of depersonalisation rests at the core of Bernini’s works allowing the artist to explore the human condition in a more general way. His anonymous characters, often depicted wearing masks, represent a shedding of personal identity; the figure has transcended beyond the subjective to represent something greater than the individual, drawing into question the rationality of our contemporary society, which places such importance upon the ego and sense of self.
Furthermore, Bernini’s works represent a sense of borrowing from other cultures. Placing a number of his figures in Hopi Masks traditional to Native American culture, he ties this theme to that of depersonalisation, utilising the belief that when a Hopi man places a mask upon his head he overcomes the self and loses his personal identity – receiving instead a spirit which represents universally a thing of the natural world.
Widely collected and exhibited both domestically and internationally, Bernini’s works have been featured at notable institutions among which are listed: Académie des Beaux-arts, (Paris, FRANCE), Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, (Paris, FRANCE), Collection d'Art Contemporain Société Générale (Puteaux, FRANCE), and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Chambéry (Chambéry, FRANCE).
