Beauty and Terror

January 12 — 29, 2023
UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery
Thursdays — Sundays, 1 pm — 5 pm
Free & Open to the Public

This 18 piece series by Robin Bernstein, is an example of how people will behave under set conditions. Many of these particular intricate string “paintings” refer to lesser-known Holocaust crimes as well as redemptive stories and heroic acts of resistance.

Each piece took Bernstein 3 to 6 months to complete. Much of the string used is vintage and originated in Europe; the colorful works are constructed from thousands of tiny strings Bernstein has meticulously cut and pressed into a mixture bed of wax, Vaseline, and powdered pine resin, which acts as an adhesive. (This process of pressing string into wax came to Bernstein as she prepared a group of schoolchildren for an international trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, learning about the Huichol Indians and their spiritual practices.) The wax is holding the string, there is no glue. Beyond the impressive technique, from a distance, they can appear to be embroidery, mosaic, weaving, or painting, with rich colors and eye-catching shapes; upon closer inspection however, the subject matter then becomes viscerally apparent, retelling the horrific act of violence and terror that each piece memorializes