Sculptor of Silence
Born in the quiet valleys where stone sleeps, John Bernard has dedicated his life to waking it. Minimalist by nature, his work seeks not to add to the world, but to reveal what is already there, hidden beneath the superfluous.
Working primarily with Carrara marble and granite, Bernard's pieces are a study in contrast: rough against smooth, light against shadow, noise against silence. His process is one of subtraction, a relentless pursuit of the essential form.
"I do not create," Bernard says. "I release."
Selected Exhibitions
- 2025 Silence & Stone Tate Modern, London
- 2024 The Weight of Being Gagosian, New York
- 2023 Venice Biennale Venice, Italy
- 2021 Monoliths (Group Show) Dia:Beacon, New York
- 2019 Emerging Forms Palais de Tokyo, Paris
Awards & Recognition
- 2024 Turner Prize (Shortlist)
- 2022 Praemium Imperiale for Sculpture
- 2020 International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement
Philosophy
"We live in an age of addition. More noise, more data, more objects. My work is an act of resistance. By removing material, I hope to create a space where the mind can rest. The stone is not the object; the stone is the frame for the emptiness around it."