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BERNARDO VALLARINO





Artworks inspired by the gap between the global rhetoric of human life preciousness and the violent behavior of humanity



COMING SOON



The Butterfly Case





a solo exhibition





VIDEO CREATED AND GENERIOUSLY PROVIDED BY SUNDACE AND FORT WORTH ART FAIR



I AM



A PERFORMANCE ARTWORK BY BERNARDO VALLARINO IN COLLABORATION WITH TATTOO AND FINE ARTIST DAVID ALCANTAR.





"I AM" is a monochromatic tattoo of a pair of butterfly wings separated by a “T” pin, a symbol widely used in “The Butterfly Case”. The 9 x 12” back tattoo took 5 hours of continuous tattooing by artist David Alcantar during a private event on Good Friday 2022. This date was intentionally chosen to connect the tattoo with the Christian belief of sacrifice and sin absolution observed on that solemn day. By enduring hours of pain, I am referencing flagellation, a Catholic practice of enduring physical pain or discomfort as means of cleansing sin. It is important to point out that pain and bloodletting as a form of purification is part of other religious and spiritual rituals. I chose to engrave my skin with the butterfly symbol to acknowledge and somehow take responsibility, “cleaning my sins,” of my own short-comings of the topics I address in The Butterfly Case, which are social apathy, racism, classism, and elements of cultural appropriation. Alcantar’s tattoo expertise and fine arts skills are crucial to this performance, not to mention the significant complementary relationship between this performance and his ongoing project about art and tattooing called “Skin in the Game”. During the process of this performance, a limited number of prints will be taken directly from the artist’s back as a means of record keeping and remembrance of the performance beyond the image on his skin.



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artist statement.





Human suffering, violence, abuse of power, politics, control, and hypocrisy are themes I explore in my work. These topics are all part of a larger social commentary regarding the disposable way human life is treated. Around the world, individuals are seen and treated as disposable, expendable, or undesirable especially in times of social unrest. I describe this disregard for human lives by overlaying concepts regarding the perceived worth of “the others" with metaphors related to vermin a common analogy used throughout history to strip others of their humanity. In addition to this metaphorical association, insects and entomology also inspire elements of anonymity, plurality, scale, presentation, and identification. I design the installations and sculptures to be emotionally immersive and morally engaging with the intent to pay tribute to the victims, bring awareness to their suffering, the issues that affect them, and ultimately inspire action or activism.


"It is part of the human experience to avoid pain and humanity prefers to ignore painful truths rather than to confront them. As an artist addressing social issues, I feel a responsibility to create artworks that evoke questions with respect to our own behaviors towards others"


Represented by Fort Works Art.


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bernardo@bernardovallarinoart.com | Phone: 682.429.7985