Bernadette Jiyong Frank
1964
(USA)
KOREAN
Bernadette Jiyong Frank is a Korean-born, California-based abstract artist whose artistic practice integrates the concept of "Ma" and invites viewers to dive into the subtle in-between intervals within endless spaces of diverse meanings.
Education
From 1984 to 1987, Bernadette Jiyong Frank studied at the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles, CA. In 1988, she also participated in a Continuing Education Program at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.
Technique
Bernadette Jiyong Frank employs multiple layers of translucent paint in her artwork. Each layer is applied slowly and deliberately, allowing time for the paint to dry before applying the next layer. This process creates depth and richness in the final piece. Time plays a significant role in Bernadette's artistic process. By adhering to the practice of applying only one layer per day, she emphasizes the importance of patience and reflection. This approach acknowledges the passage of time as an integral part of the creative journey. The act of applying each layer of paint is considered a meditative process for Bernadette, channeling her focus into each brushstroke. The meditative quality of her application technique likely contributes to the contemplative nature of her artworks. Bernadette views the application of each layer as an act of creating space within the artwork. As the layers accumulate over time, they contribute to the overall dimensionality of the piece, allowing viewers to engage with the artwork on multiple levels, both visually and conceptually....
By incorporating these elements into her process, Bernadette Jiyong Frank infuses her paintings with a sense of time, patience, and contemplation. This approach not only affects the visual aspects of her works but also adds depth and conceptual meaning to the final compositions.
Bernadette is interested in developing a sensory experience through the physicality and visual expression of her work that allows the viewer to enter into an imagination of intervals in time. There, they will find meaning among the in-between spaces in this transitory world—the void that exists in time and space as a place of contemplation, rejuvenation, and change.
Inspiration
By integrating the concept of "Ma" into her artistic practice, Bernadette Jiyong Frank invites viewers to embrace the significance of silence, emptiness, and the intervals between events. Her work creates a space for contemplation and highlights the meaningful presence that exists within the void....
Exploring the concept of Ma in her work leads to a deeper understanding of the relationship between time, space, and meaning. By acknowledging and emphasizing the intervals, gaps, or voids, she brings attention to the interconnectedness and continuity of events while appreciating the significance of the pauses that give them context and impact.
By incorporating Ma into her creative endeavors, Bernadette explores how the absence or emptiness between elements can shape the perception and interpretation of time and space. It allows viewers to delve into the interplay of presence and absence, and the dynamic nature of transitions and boundaries.
Collections
Artworks by Bernadette Jiyong Frank are included in numerous private and institutional collections, including those of Hyatt Regency, Boston, MA, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, and Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA.
Exhibitions
Jiyong Frank has exhibited internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Time Shadow at Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, and "Relics for the Future" at Niad Art Center, Richmond, curated by Jessica Snow.
Reviews
2014 Solo Show at Dolby Chadwick Gallery
SF Weekly | Jonathan Curiel
Frank's repetition of translucent light becomes artistically hypnotic, turning the canvases themselves into meditative works of art.
Interludes: Mathematical Formulas Meld with Abstract Paintings in Three New Shows
Essay published by Dolby Chadwick Gallery
[...for Frank], mathematics and geometry are not ends-in-themselves but rather conduits for something deeper. Like Agnes Martin’s grid paintings and Naum Gabo’s kinetic sculptures, Frank’s paintings encourage us to transcend the visual limitations of everyday reality to commune with the rich, empyreal contours of our worlds and ourselves.
Bernadette Jiyong Frank: Spaces in Between | DOLBY CHADWICK GALLERY
2020 Solo Show at Dolby Chadwick Gallery
The Woven Tale Press | Donald Brackett
This remarkable body of work by Jiyong Frank celebrates a perceptual slowness at the heart of all true seeing. In almost every single painting, the actual subject and theme is the transmission of light and its impact emotionally on the viewer.
Meditative Painting
Essay published by Dolby Chadwick Gallery
[...] it is the space in between the layers, Frank notes, that gives the works their depth and allows them to be experienced both visually and viscerally. The final paintings produce a sense of transcendence, asking us to consider how the edges of our lives—those areas adjacent to wherever we are, physically or emotionally—might be charged with an energy, potentiality, or resonance. Frank’s paintings manifest a hypnotizing, Rothko-like energy while also demonstrating Frank’s emphatic engagement with the passage of time and the interceding moments that shape our world.
Bernadette Jiyong Frank: Time Shadow | DOLBY CHADWICK GALLERY
