photo collage. cityscapes.
There is no greater feeling of excitement for me, than when I’m setting out to explore a new city. With my camera in hand and my skateboard ready to go, I hit the pavement and let the city reveal itself to me. I climb hills, roll through boulevards, cruise by monuments, venture out into the suburbs – all the time searching for angles, spaces and scenes. When I find something interesting, I jump off the board, snap a bunch of photos, get back on, and keep rolling.
The technical part of the process begins when I gather all the photographs into the computer, and sort through the images from the trip. With a lot of experimentation and examination I fit the scenes together, until finally arriving at a composition that I feel visually represents the spirit of the place. The result of this process is what I like to call an Urban Portrait. By taking different panoramic images and then blending them together into a realistic photographic construct, the viewer is invited to experience the distinct personality of that city.
Bernard Bolter, san francisco, 2011
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Exhibition at NIETO FINE ART, San Francisco, California 2011
Part of a group show to benefit capoeira students in Africa at Nieto Fine Art in San Francisco, CA. First time the cities were exhibited at full size. Images were personally printed on photo paper and stretched between wood bars.
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Exhibition at CUTTING CULTURE, Amsterdam, the Netherlands 2010
One man show at Cutting Cultures in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. These are the original artist proof prints for the first 9 cities. Images were 70cm x 70cm mounted on aluminum. Only one print exists for each city, except for LISBON portugal which has two. There were also 30 books that were printed for the show and are still floating around.
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Pecha Kucha Performance at MEDIAMATIC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands 2009
Excerpt from the web review:'Next up was the man who stole the show with the longest applause and the loudest laughs, Bernard Bolter. The San Francisco-based artist presented his surreal collages of city landscapes by rapping freestyle to the beat of a djembe drum. I never thought I'd hear anyone rap about Frank Gehry 'doing his thing' in Los Angeles and Bilbao. Well, now I have, and it was absolutely hilarious. Few others came close to being that entertaining.'Link to complete review
