Judith Bernstein is a New York artist best known for her paintings exploring the connection between the political and the sexual. In the early 1970s, Bernstein surged into the art world with her monumental anti-war and Feminist charcoal drawings of phallic-hybrid.
The title of this exhibition, ‘Gasligting’ Forever is not a typo. The removing the ‘h’ in ‘Gasligting’ aims to make the viewer “momentarily question their own sanity”.
JUDITH BERNSTEIN, Death of the Universe #1, 2018. Courtesy of the Artist and Kasmin Gallery. https://www.kasmingallery.com/
Death of the Universe #1 (2018) catches the viewer’s attention by its bright colors of orange and yellow. This painting depicts vulvic-hybrid creatures attacked by something blasting. The maroon color reminds me of blood. On the left side, the artist inscribed ‘Death Universe’. This painting suggests the devastating effect of terrible events before the death of the universe. Although it portrays horrific things, this painting still looks cheerful.
JUDITH BERNSTEIN, Gaslighting (Red), 2019. Courtesy of the Artist and Kasmin Gallery. https://www.kasmingallery.com/
Gaslighting (Red) (2019) depicts two vulvic characters fighting against three phallic hybrids. This work was painted in dark and pale red with yellow block letters ‘Gasligting’ on the top of the painting. This picture symbolizes a fight in the patriarchal world, where women often experience injustice. Instead of illustrating this battle in the whole body, Bernstein is more interested in portraying it in the representation of genitals.
JUDITH BERNSTEIN, Gaslighting Forever #1, 2021. Courtesy of the Artist and Kasmin Gallery. https://www.kasmingallery.com/
She succeeded in making writing both as an image and as a language to convey messages. Gaslighting Forever #1 (2021) portrays ‘Gasligting Forever’ text in fluorescent colors with hollow eyes characters around them. The black background makes the viewer focus on what is painted in the foreground. It is a dark but hilarious representation of the struggle against patriarchy.
The term ‘gaslighting’ in this exhibition was inspired by the 1944 thriller “Gaslight” featuring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. This film popularized the ‘gaslighting’ term to describe “a situation wherein an abuser encourages their target to question and examine their judgment and sanity”. This term is also used to describe a psychological battle related to the toxic power that ranges from personal to political realms.
The ‘Gasligting’ series began in 2019. This exhibition also includes Death of the Universe #1 (2018). Although it was created before the pandemic, this painting can represent ‘the black hole of its devastating global impact’. Bernstein’s works are also displayed in black light, which gives an impressive experience to the viewers.
This exhibition proves that Judith Bernstein is truly a prolific artist whose direct expression confronted conservative gender politics with sexual aggression, as Mary Boone Gallery NYC writes on Bernstein’s official website. She defies essentialists’ distinction of feminine and masculine characters. Bernstein has provoked the audience by her drawings addressing themes of warfare, politics, and gender under the guise of humor.
Judith Bernstein: Gasligting Forever will set to run to January 8, 2022, at Kasmin Gallery (514 West 28th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan)