Vincent Bernier

Vincent Bernier was born in Québec, Canada in 1977 and is now based in Manchester, England. He first trained as a graphic designer before moving into art education and fine art, but his work has never lost its graphic roots.

His practice moves between figurative painting, hard-edged abstraction and collage, building scenes around looking, desire and the stories we inherit. He starts with found images, personal material and fragments of art history, then reworks them into his own visual language. Often, the work carries the charge of a love story. Tender, physical, uncertain and slightly dangerous.

Bernier is drawn to the queer gaze because it can hold beauty and threat at once. It allows the male body to become vulnerable, worshipped, pursued, exposed or withheld. In the studio, he layers acrylic, paper, oil and ink on wooden panels, preparing the surfaces to feel aged, handled and richly textured. He sands back, repaints, redraws and interrupts the image until it sits somewhere between revelation and concealment.

Myth has become a central structure in Bernier’s work. Earlier pieces drew on stories of disappearance, heroic friendship and journeys into uncertainty. More recent work continues this interest through ancient narrativ...

University of Salford
MA Contemporary Fine Art
2020-21

University of Salford
BA Visual Art
2013-16

2021: MA ART Degree Show - University of Salford
Venue: New Adelphi building, University of Salford, Manchester
2017: Solo Exhibition 'Les Veilleurs'
Venue: Font Manchester
2016: Group Exhibition 'Made Here'
Venue: London Road Fire Station, Manchester
2016: Create Salford Festival 2016 - BA Degree Show
Venue: Allerton Studios, University of Salford, Manchester
2015: Group Exhibition ‘Darkness and Light: Exploring the Gothic’
Venue: John Rylands Library, Manchester
2015: Group Exhibition ‘Generation Z’
Venue: Artwork Atelier, Salford, Manchester
2014: Group Exhibition ‘Mind Flux’
Venue: Bankley Studios, Manchester
2011: Group Exhibition ‘Beneath the Surface’
Venue: Neo Artists - Market Place Gallery, Bolton
2010: Group Exhibition ‘Nostalgia’
Venue: Neo Artists - Market Place Gallery, Bolton
2007: Solo Exhibition ‘ Gastown Scenes’
Venue: Jeffrey Boone Gallery, Vancouver
2006: Group Exhibition - Eastside Culture Crawl Festival-
Venue: Railway Studios, Vancouver