“I know there’s a definite story here, but I’m not quite sure what it is.”
Joe Bertino draws heavily from the rebellion of the 90’s, the overabundance of the 00’s, the hope of the 10’s, and the cynicism of today. He uses collage to analyze the dogmas he was raised under and to make sense of the harmony and humor implicit in conflict.
The artist revels in embellishing his works with the impression of physical depth and context clues, in order to keep the viewer questioning. His work reinforces the idea that creation is also a journey of discovery in which you may surrender control, and he hopes to inspire that process of active discovery in the viewer.
Bertino’s work has been described as tribal, surreal, and psychedelic. He takes advantage of repetition, texture, and hyperstimulation to bring order from chaos.
CV
Exhibitions
2022 The Skeleton Crawl. Group Exhibit. Thames Art Center, NY
2023 Amuse-Bouche. Group Exhibit. LeMieux Gallery, LA
2023 The Skeleton Crawl. Group Exhibit. Honey Badger Motel, NY
2023 NYCE Collage Pop-Up. Group Exhibit. Grove 34 Studio, NY
2023 South Brooklyn Salon. Group Exhibit. Thomas Van Dyke Gallery, NY
Commissions
2020 Labyrinth. Album Artwork. DADRAS. https://dadras.bandcamp.com/track/labyrinth-2
2022 Crystal Pistol. Album Artwork. Coma Girls. https://open.spotify.com/album/50PHxryfwEuuEiuLYVmXVf