Artist’s Statement: Innerscapes — Bernie Wilke
My recent paintings and installations feature intense colors and strong dark/light contrasts
to show life and energy inside a traumatized physical body. The work reveals vibrant spaces
beyond the scarred and bruised surface of the skin to show vitality that exists deeper inside us.
Unseen sources of light pervade the internal areas of the body, alluding to an expanse of space
that may suggest a larger, healing perspective in the midst of carnal pain.
Seeing beyond surface appearances has always come naturally to me. Part of my practice
as an artist is to look deeply at everything. When it comes to our bodies, there is so much
going on inside us — motivations, pains, processes — that remains hidden to the outside world.
That makes them unreal, in a sense. The Innerscapes series illuminates the inner life inside us,
while showing both real and symbolic wounds we bear on our bodies.
My recent paintings and installations feature intense colors and strong dark/light contrasts
to show life and energy inside a traumatized physical body. The work reveals vibrant spaces
beyond the scarred and bruised surface of the skin to show vitality that exists deeper inside us.
Unseen sources of light pervade the internal areas of the body, alluding to an expanse of space
that may suggest a larger, healing perspective in the midst of carnal pain.
Seeing beyond surface appearances has always come naturally to me. Part of my practice
as an artist is to look deeply at everything. When it comes to our bodies, there is so much
going on inside us — motivations, pains, processes — that remains hidden to the outside world.
That makes them unreal, in a sense. The Innerscapes series illuminates the inner life inside us,
while showing both real and symbolic wounds we bear on our bodies.
Artist Bio – Bernie Wilke
Bernie Wilke has established himself as a visual artist who is committed to working in community settings. After completing his B.A. in Visual Arts from
Antioch College, Bernie received his M.F.A. in Studio Art from Indiana University
of Pennsylvania in 2001. Since then, Bernie has completed 80 community
murals in places such as schools, main streets, community centers, nursing
homes, and churches. Part of his vision is to continue to utilize the power of art
to strengthen communities and cultivate personal and societal wellness through
beauty and collaboration.
An active teacher since 1997, Bernie is an adjunct professor at
Westmoreland Community College and does teaching artist residencies at
schools, youth homes and prisons in the Pittsburgh area. His residencies
typically involve leading a group of students in permanent curriculum-based
murals, where the students do the majority of the work from design to
completion.
Bernie also pursues his individual studio work -- a body of paintings and
mixed media works (called Innerscapes) that show life and energy inside
traumatized physical bodies. His work has been featured in over 25 regional and
national juried exhibitions since 1994.
Bernie Wilke has established himself as a visual artist who is committed to working in community settings. After completing his B.A. in Visual Arts from
Antioch College, Bernie received his M.F.A. in Studio Art from Indiana University
of Pennsylvania in 2001. Since then, Bernie has completed 80 community
murals in places such as schools, main streets, community centers, nursing
homes, and churches. Part of his vision is to continue to utilize the power of art
to strengthen communities and cultivate personal and societal wellness through
beauty and collaboration.
An active teacher since 1997, Bernie is an adjunct professor at
Westmoreland Community College and does teaching artist residencies at
schools, youth homes and prisons in the Pittsburgh area. His residencies
typically involve leading a group of students in permanent curriculum-based
murals, where the students do the majority of the work from design to
completion.
Bernie also pursues his individual studio work -- a body of paintings and
mixed media works (called Innerscapes) that show life and energy inside
traumatized physical bodies. His work has been featured in over 25 regional and
national juried exhibitions since 1994.
