SAM BERNHEIM

PEOPLEText: Eric Dalbin

From Paris to Beyrouth and Boston to Philadelphia, urban territories have always been the main inspiration of Sam Bernheim‘s works. Streets, pavements, tube stations, front side of unoccupied stores, sewer drains – without being exhaustive – have been both his creations and exhibitions places. His creations are directly transgressive and always set his author as an activist of clandestinity looking playfully to recreate freedom from above the cities laws.

Meanwhile, preceded by preparative works that consist to select a place and then according to it, created in the atelier an exclusive artwork, Sam Bernheim’s works seems to be determinated by a poetic link with the city itself. By choosing carefully a small part of the city and making it belong to him with graphic writing, he creates a special space, breaking with the surrounding at the same time discussing with it, a momentary fictional place.

Sometimes you can find some spreaded words such as trust, crust, spit or sixth and language suddenly becomes physical material with their own phonetic density and colors. The enigmatic form of letters and the quest of hidden meaning bring the spectator to ask themselves questions about their relation with writing and reading, language and its codes.

Discover his works in the book “Writing“.

Text: Eric Dalbin
Photos: Courtesy of the artist, © Sam Bernheim

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