When he was 21, Bermudez traveled to the Amazon and also taught for two years in a small Afro-Caribbean community on Lake Maracaibo. Here he immersed himself in the villagers’ rituals and myths, which sparked an interest in Indigenous religions and imagery. Following this up with a trip to Mexico, he says, “was a turning point.” He had read Latin magic realist writers such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, which heavily influenced the fantastical imagery of his own art. “In Mexico, all the ideas I had were actually living and breathing!”
“CLOUD OF WATER,” 2017, 72″ x 120″, acrylic and glitter on canvas
Bermudez’s work took an almost hallucinogenic plunge that has continued ever since, leading to universes populated by hybrid creatures and man-beasts, feathered serpents (Quetzalcoatl), lush but almost predatory-looking plant forms, ritualistically tattooed figures and psychedelic palettes. They incorporate an astonishing amalgamation of materials – fur, glitter, carved wood, paint, cut paper – that elicit a visceral response from viewers, especially given the enormous scale of many.
After returning home, Hugo Chavez’s election as president in 1999 created tumult in the country’s art community, which became a visible and vociferous critic, of his policies. The situation worsened under Nicolás Maduro after Chavez’s death, and artists became enemies of the state. Though Bermudez had represented Venezuela in 1986 at the Venice Biennale, he was forced to flee and begin from scratch in the U.S. His flag paintings responded to his new home, where he became a naturalized citizen.
From the series BLACK LANDSCAPE 2021, 25″ x 22″, oil and acrylic on canvas
Today, Bermudez lives and works in Philadelphia, where the Woodmere Art Museum recently celebrated him with the most thorough retrospective to date of his work: Henry Bermudez in Philadelphia (closed May 19, 2023). Explaining what attracted him to Bermudez, director and CEO William Valerio says, “It’s the mixture of materials and the density of the surfaces he creates, as well as the natural forms that are constantly growing – like 13-foot-high roses covered in glitter – all connected with a deeply troubling element of political message. It packs a punch. His art is about humanity and a worldview that respects the value of each individual on the planet, and it comes from a strongly moral point of view.”
“ZERO TOLERANCE,” 2018, 83″ x 71″, acrylic and glitter on canvas
Lately, Bermudez has been creating works about the conflict in Gaza. He feels humanity is experiencing a paradigm shift with uncertain consequences. “Artists throughout history have picked up on the changes underlying these shifts and referenced them in their works. They have the intuition to visualize what is happening in society at any given moment.” He adds that he doesn’t have the tools (that is, younger people’s facility with new technologies) to depict those changes accurately, so he does what he can with the vocabulary he has at hand. Despite his modesty, there’s little doubt that it will also pack a punch.
Artist headshot by Darryl Moran. All images courtesy of Henry Bermudez.
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