Judith Bernstein
“Gaslighting Forever”
New York, 514 West 28th Street
“Gaslighting” is a term coined by the 1944 thriller “Gaslight,” featuring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. Referencing the movie’s plot, it has since come into popular lexicon to describe a situation wherein an abuser encourages their target to question and undermine their judgment and sanity. Gaslighting is a psychological battleground relating to toxic power dynamics, pervasive across personal and political realms. An insightful subtlety in Judith's series is her intentional misspelling of “Gasligting” in each painting, removing the “h,” so that the viewer is prompted to momentarily question their own sanity.
UDITH BERNSTEIN Gaslighting (8 Heads - Yellow, Orange, Pink, Blue on Black) 2021 acrylic on canvas 48 x 48 inches 121.9 x 121.9 cms
As in all of her work, Bernstein commands complete ownership of her subject matter. Representational figures float in an open void, and absurd games of manipulation are at the forefront of turbulent dynamics. The Gasligting series began in 2019. Also included in this exhibition is Death of the Universe #1 (2018). Though this painting was created prior to the current pandemic, Bernstein showcases Death of the Universe #1, 12.5 x 14 ft, in this exhibition to represent the blackhole of its devastating global impact.
Since receiving her MFA from Yale in 1967, Judith Bernstein has developed a reputation as one of the most unwaveringly provocative artists of her generation. For over 50 years, her work has been an autobiographical exploration of the connection between the political and the sexual. It is about her rage at injustice. It is the core of what she’s about. Steadfast in her cultural, political and social critique throughout her career, Bernstein surged into art world prominence in the early 1970s with her monumental anti-war and Feminist charcoal drawings of penis-screw hybrids; early incarnations of which were exhibited at AIR Gallery; Brooks Jackson Iolas Gallery, New York; Brooklyn Museum; and MoMA P.S.1, among other institutions.
