Born in 1964 Graduated from Lausanne Art School (ECAL), CH, in 1989 Lives and works in Nyon, Geneva and Lausanne, CH Several months in Barcelona, Berlin and Paris in 1998 Painter and photographer Garo’s work pays homage to painting as a component of our earth. He celebrates nature, mankind and vulnerability. Since 2017, Bernard Garo did several artistic residencies in China, he exhibited his artworks in museums and represented his country in several international exhibitions.
Art critic's comment
The artist Bernard Garo explores the irreversible processes of mountain erosion and glacier melting in his artworks. He combines a fundamental approach and unconventional creative thinking. The geological history of the Earth is a continuous course of tectonic processes, as a result of which mountains and glaciers interact with each other, but human intervention can be destructive even for such immense and powerful creations of nature. The artist's attitude to the worsening environmental problems is expressed in the evolution of the colour scheme of his artworks: the intensity of tones and the feelings of anxiety in colour combinations increase, the images acquire greater texture, but the structure of the composition remains harmonious.
The paintings of Bernard Garo balance on the edge of the transcendental abstractionism and the pragmatism of environmental art - a relatively young trend in contemporary art, which makes a bold statement concerning environmental problems to the world and society. Rethinking modern realities through artistic images, environmental art invites us to think about the ways in which we could preserve nature for further generations. The main principle of Bernard Garo is to apply natural materials in his artworks. The artist had invented his own technique: instead of paints, he uses natural latex mixed with plant and mineral pigments, which is sprinkled with asphalt or marble chips on top. In search of inspiration and in order to obtain some components for his work, Bernard Garo travels to remote corners of our planet, climbs the mountains and descends to the bottom of frightening cracks in glaciers, thus he studies the problems of glacier fractures and soil erosion on site.
The artist believes that another important component of the creative process is gaining knowledge from meetings with scientists - geologists and glaciologists. According to Bernard Garo, art should combine uncompromisingness and the ability to discover new possibilities in conveying the fascinating power of nature. Bernard Garo's artworks make viewers rethink their relationship with the environment.
