We visited Bernie Lubell's home and studio in a rather small group but at the right time. He was expecting a curator, so he displayed his sculptures around the house. Bernie welcomed us with a genuine smile in his eyes. This smile persisted through the whole visit. It only got more intense as he saw how we struggle with his interactive art.
Growing up in New York, during his studies Bernie chose psychology major. Because of his interest in crafting he took advanced sculpture class too. That was the main turning point in his career. He has never stopped making art since. Bernie moved to San Francisco in 1979. He landed in Haight Ashbury at its best. Grateful Dead's music and experiments with psychedelics had a profound impact on his artist's work.
Bernie likes to play with words and their meanings. In 1999 he named his now most famous sculpture Cheek to Cheek. It is a homemade barstool connected with rubber hoses to a headset. As you balance your but cheeks on the stool you pressure the air up to the headset. There, two latex membranes gently press on your cheeks as you move around. Bernie is standing nearby and with glaring eyes repeats Cheek to Cheek! Like an old joke that never goes out of fashion.
Bernie's artwork reminds of masters of conceptual art. His artwork has the aesthetic and the wit very close to Duchamp's 3 Standard Stoppages. Some of his sculptures even have a manual or carry on box. Bernie uses materials in their natural form, and wears a hat like Joseph Beuys! Bernie loves working with wood, rubber, metal springs and paper. His sculptures almost scream: Look, this is how we're put together, come and try us out.
Bernie's artwork is playful, interactive and witty. It is hard to judge his artwork in the external context. Bernie defines his own category. His sculptures are interactive puzzle challenges that ask for participation of the audience. His more recent sculptures even require orchestrated cooperation of two or more people.
To my surprise, his sculptures are still working after many years. Bernie's art is functional but robust enough to survive endless use and kids' treatment. When you interact with Bernie's art you feel like a child getting a new toy. You forget that you touch the art. You're in the middle of the artwork! You're a necessary part of the thought through system.
Bernie Lubell is an accomplished, internationally recognized artist. He created large scale interactive sculptures for major art events around the world. In 2007 he dominated Ars Electronica, an acclaimed festival of interactive art in Linz, Germany. Bernie also received the prestigious Guggenheim Artists Fellowship in 2011. Despite those achievements, Bernie is little known in the Bay Area. It's perhaps good for art collectors. You can get Bernie's sculpture that will one day hang in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts!
