Viktor Bernik

Sketch for the installation of the work

2019

Viktor Bernik’s works can be described as bordering on conceptual statements, as they often broach issues related to the art system and institutions, the commodification of works of art, the (in)definability of “artness” in contemporary art, etc. In his Large Painting, Bernik deals with the issue of painting format, which has a historical development and has meant more than just size in certain periods; it also gave certain types of painting a symbolic place, e.g. history painting as the most prestigious genre in painting, as a rule, requires extremely large formats, is meant for the general public, and is a sign of the commissioner’s affluence. In the context of contemporary art, Large Painting clearly has other connotations: its overlarge size is a witty comment on the potential speculativeness of all kinds of criteria – be they of content, form, or size – in contemporary art.

Viktor Bernik, born in 1971, graduated in 1998 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, where he studied painting with Profs. Metka Krašovec and Bojan Gorenc; he went on to complete a specialist degree with Professor Gorenc and later continued his studies in the United States. He took part in several referential group exhibitions in Slovenija and exhibited internationally. Author and Initiator of Made in China project, one of the leaders of GalerijaGallery, an artist-run gallery in Ljubljana. Lives and works in Ljubljana. Web: http://viktorbernik.com/