SURDO

The individual body is full of possibility, and Bruno Surdo's realistic representations of the human form, in various mythical incarnations, address the multi-layered reality of our contemporary existence. The urban landscape becomes a rich and organic setting for these figures who are simultaneously mythical and material. The dense texture of the city opens up the possibility of the wholeness of humanity, yet stresses the need for individuation. Each individual is unique in a sea of other bodies, bumping up against one another in a context of urban modernity. Surdo also addresses the dual nature of human existence metaphorically through the concept of the twin. To have a duplicate self opens the possibility of a mirror image of one, separated from a whole. If we envision twins as separate halves that complete the whole, then we can see ourselves as individuals split into halves, each part pulling us in separate directions. Bruno Surdo unravels a complex and full narrative in his work, using realism as a vehicle to create this narrative, and through this process asks the audience to open their eyes and see the intricate layers of each piece.

Some critics argue that a work of art only exists when it interacts with an audience. A symphony can exist on the page as a series of symbolic marks, but it only comes to life once the notes are played and heard by receptive ears. Bruno Surdo then becomes a conductor, carrying the message of his medium to the audience, carefully dictating and organizing each element of his paintings. He plans the structure of the work to anticipate this engagement with an audience, and effectively expresses the essence of each individual piece. The technique becomes an essential element of the work itself, bringing the ideas to the surface, and into the intellectual realm of the viewing experience.

The various textures of the production of the work bring out the thematic issues, and there are as many layers in the process as there are in the ideas. The many stages of this process create a luminous effect, and the viewer is as struck by the compositional principles as they are by the force of the symbolic representations of the figures and the narratives created. The use of a universal symbolic language helps guide the perception of the work.

The Secrets of Castor and Pollux echoes the complexity of the self with this metaphor of the twin. The male figures, naked to the waist, whisper in one another's ear. Is it the secret language of twins, or a conversation with the two halves of the self? Me First also confronts the viewer with the question of duality. Twin brothers fight to push ahead of one another, attempting to assert the essential need for individuation. The realistic urban landscape of a bus station and the physical confrontation of the characters, force the viewer to question the duality of the individual self. The work also recollects the story of Cain and Abel, the conflict of two brothers, both desiring to be the first in their father's eyes. This conflict led to murder, and Surdo implies a heated and complex struggle between the figures of Me First through the use of a tight composition that uses visual language to create this meaning. The work can be opened into a larger context, and make us question the twin trope as a metaphor for our own divided and conflicted selves. What part of the self do we put first? The realistic representation of the characters creates the immediate identification with the figures as material beings, yet the intertextuality of the biblical story and the possibility for a metaphor filters through the narrative space of the work.

Who Am I? takes the metaphor of the duplicate self, and expands the dimension of the device. A solitary figure sees her reflection through various mirror images; the self becomes fractured, and we are caught looking into an abyss, balancing the possibility of multiple selves and desiring a unified whole. The mirror reflects the illusion of reality, as art also reflects this illusion of the real. The real and unreal combine to create a dialogue about the inability for anyone to focus on their true self.

Surdo's work becomes self-reflexive, pondering the position and reaction to a work of art in our contemporary world, infused with the relevance of the image and the exploration of the meta-image. In the painting, So, What do YOU Think? the medium reflects the message, and references itself in the process. As we, the viewers confront the work of art, we are being asked to explore that relationship. The work of art, at the center of the composition, beckons us to look. We are immediately drawn to the beauty of the form, an exposed male torso, a symbol of the beauty of art, and the viewer recognizes that this represents how we are taught to identify art. The beauty of the human form metaphorically represents art. Surrounding the figure is a depiction of the public and their contact with art. The dealer adjusts the draping of the fabric, as if in the midst of a conversation with the critic, seriously contemplating the aesthetics of the piece. In the right hand corner, a man in a loud print shirt reads a newspaper, oblivious to the work, the everyman in the hardhat attempts to establish a connection, and finally, the artist appears in the painting, exposed literally to the public, as he appears naked. The Renaissance hat connects his artistic influences to the work and he looks slyly at the viewer of this piece itself, as they are caught "looking" at the artwork, and subsequently, the artist himself. The painting becomes self-referential, questioning the act of seeing art and the function of art in our society.

The Re-emergence of Venus directly connects form with meaning, and creates a cohesive and engaging dialogue. The composition's central focus is the image of Venus, an intertextual and postmodern representation of Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. Surdo's Venus reflects the canonical power of this figure, yet she becomes a new symbol of our modern condition. She is surrounded by other mythical figures in an urban landscape. Venus becomes the work of art itself, pregnant, full of possibility and potential. Venus also represents the fecundity of the creative process, as an artist gives birth to his creation and the process of delivering the message is very much like a biological birth. Venus is truth and beauty, but she is also a metaphor for the process and existence of art itself. The Re-emergence of Venus most clearly illustrates the multi-layered dimension of Surdo's work, and his use of mythical figures in a contemporary and familiar setting to create a narrative space that explores the complexity of our modern existence.

Bruno Surdo shapes and directs our seeing of the world, and in the process creates a fast-paced, multi-layered reality of mythic proportions in his paintings. The realistic representation of the human form connects us to the desire to be individuals in a modern world that fractures the intimate self, and asks us to ignore the remarkable potential in all of us. The figure then becomes a vehicle, creating a visual lan- guage that uses several layers of meaning to explore the essence of experience and new ways to see the "drives, motions, intellections, symbologies, and myths" that are all a part of the rich tapestry of life.

- KIMBERLY BAKER, ART CRITIC

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