Bernice Sokol Kramer

ARTIST BIO

Bernice Sokol Kramer is a sculptor, painter and mixed media artist. In the last half century she has lived and created in New York City, encouraged by numerous awards including the National Academy Museum Award for Graphics, the Curator’s Choice Artist Talk on Art Award, and winner of the George Condo Costume Contest, New Museum, NYC.

She has been selected for exhibits with noted jurors, critics, galleries and gallerists-- among them were: Rebecca Rabinow, the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Curate NYC; David Cohen, critic; Nat Trotman, Guggenheim Museum; Ivan Karp, OK Harris Gallery; Tracey Bashkoff, Guggenheim Museum; Jim Kempner; Jack Shainman; Donald Kuspit, critic; Gallery 440; Trestle Gallery; and Andrew Edlin Gallery, Et Tu,Art Brute? She was selected to participate in the Traveling Shoe Box Show in Kyoto, Japan. Sculpture, works on paper, and collages have been recognized in these shows.

Her work was chosen as one of the “Top Five Installations to See at Governors Island Art Fair,” by Design and Trend. She was featured in the ArtBlog: “Fifth Annual Governors Island Art Fair: A Whole Lot of Innocence and Decay” by Elizabeth Johnson.

Performance art and teaching during the years with programs such as Learning to Read through the Arts, developing and implementing a sculpture program funded by Project Arts for public school, conducting art tours, Exhibition Coordinator in a Dumbo gallery and currently Gallery Manager in a Chelsea artist-run gallery have enriched her art life.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The sculptures hang from the ceiling and rest on the floor and wall. I develop them from simple sketches. In fact, I must make these sketches beforehand to visualize the space and orientation. By orientation I mean does the sculpture hang from the ceiling, hang on the wall, or stand on the floor. It is difficult to change orientation midstream.

The armatures for my sculpture are discarded clothing. I stuff them like a taxidermist until I achieve the desired pose or posture. In order to alter the expected human form, I perform surgery--cutting and sewing limbs, reattaching/relocating them. The marriage of human and animal traits, my “genetic mischief,” guides the process. I guess my background as a biology major in college comes into play. Primary concerns are shape or silhouette, texture, and color (in that order). Paper mache is the medium. I collage newspapers onto the surface, creating a firm, durable skin. In his essay, What’s the Matter With Sculpture? ,Isamu Noguchi states, “ The cheap and quick method will rescue sculpture…Why not paper…?” I like his suggestion.

A childhood fascination with marionettes informs and inspires my work.