Jared Bernstein

About the Artist

Jared Bernstein is an American self-taught artist, photographer, and writer whose work explores identity, vulnerability, spirituality, and the complexities of the human experience. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in southern New Jersey, Bernstein moved to Manhattan in the 1980s, where he became immersed in New York's vibrant art scene during one of its most influential periods.

Beginning in 1985, Bernstein established a successful career as a photographer, working extensively within the world of celebrities, fashion, and contemporary culture. At the same time, he frequented galleries and exhibitions throughout New York, developing a deep appreciation for artists who used visual language to communicate personal narratives and universal truths. Among the artists who most influenced him was Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose ability to transform memory, symbolism, and lived experience into powerful visual statements left a lasting impression.

While Bernstein draws inspiration from Basquiat's symbolic vocabulary, he has developed a distinctly personal visual language. His paintings are not concerned with outward appearances but with the inner landscape of the human spirit. Through recurring symbols, simplified forms, handwritten text, and intuitive mark-making, he explores themes of fear, courage, conflict, hope, faith, and self-discovery.

Central to Bernstein's work is the figure of the chicken, a recurring symbol that serves as a metaphor for vulnerability and fear. Borrowing from the common expression "chicken" to describe someone who is afraid, Bernstein transforms the image into a compassionate portrait of the human condition. His chickens are not objects of humor or ridicule; rather, they represent the fragile and authentic inner voice that exists within every individual. Through this symbol, Bernstein invites viewers to confront their own fears, contradictions, and aspirations.

An autodidact and self-described Outsider Artist in the tradition of Jean Dubuffet, Bernstein relies primarily on instinct and intuition. His paintings emerge from the unconscious and function as visual records of an ongoing internal dialogue. Whether working in painting, photography, or poetry, he seeks to give form to emotions, memories, and spiritual questions that often remain hidden beneath the surface of everyday life.

For Bernstein, the creative process is both personal and universal. His work is an exploration of identity, a confrontation with fear, an act of courage, and ultimately a search for meaning. While deeply autobiographical in origin, his paintings invite viewers to recognize aspects of their own experiences within the imagery. The goal is not to understand the artist's emotions, but to discover how the work resonates within oneself.

Between 2018 and 2021, Bernstein entered a particularly prolific period of artistic growth and self-discovery. During these years he produced an extensive body of work that affirmed his belief that personal revelation can become a universal language. Through raw expression, symbolic imagery, and emotional honesty, Bernstein creates art that encourages introspection, empathy, and spiritual reflection.

Today, Jared Bernstein continues to work across multiple disciplines, creating paintings, photographs, and written works that challenge viewers to engage with the hidden dimensions of their own inner lives.