Wisdom and Inspiration
Dream and Reality—An Interview with John Bernhard
By Robert A. Schaefer, Jr.
Dec 15, 2006

©John Bernhard Nudewood, 1994 from the Metamorphs series

It was again in 2000 and at Fotofest that I met photographer and gallerist John Bernhard. Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, he introduced himself, I heard his French accent, and I was instantly interested in his European background. He was also attracted to my having lived in Europe, so there was an immediate rapport even before I saw the beautiful black-and-white nude images he had in his portfolio (as well as the book he had just published on the subject). We stayed in touch seeing each other at subsequent Fotofests; however, it was in the summer of 2005 when John came to New York that we spent a lot of time together in galleries and restaurants. When he left, we agreed that his Gallery DeFrog would host an exhibition of his images from China and the images of my German family and the Holocaust. This all came to fruition in March during Fotofest and the exhibition, titled Transitions, was a huge success. Since then, John has been to China for a third time. After his return, I had the chance to talk to him about being a photographer from Switzerland living and working in Houston, Texas.

©John Bernhard Untitled, 1994 from the Metamorphs series

Robert Schaefer: Have you always been interested in art?

John Bernhard: Oh yes, as a child I used to draw all the Disney characters, and I dreamed of working in his studio. Actually in school, art was the only subject in which I did not have to work hard to make A's. I also love graphic design, architecture and painting. and dabble in them all the time.


RS: What got you into photography?

JB: I received my first camera at the age of six and realized the amazing power of images. It was a little black box—a used Brownie which my mother gave me. I fell in love with it immediately and I still have that camera today. The dream of becoming a photographer had begun. This also marked my earliest discovery of a desire to express the intricate interplay and moods of people in everyday life.



RS: You are originally from Geneva, Switzerland. When did you come to the United States for the first time, why did you decide to live in Texas, and why specifically Houston?

©John Bernhard Body #3, 2006 from the Bodily Change series

JB: I had always wanted to come to America so, in 1978 I took a year and backpacked through 43 states. After I returned to Geneva, the draw of the U.S. tugged at my mind until in 1980, against the advice of everyone I knew, I quit my job and returned to pursue the American dream. It just wasn't done in Switzerland, to leave a good job and a future with a company. Everyone told me I was crazy, but I didn't care. I knew in my heart that my future was in the States. When I left Geneva, I told everyone that I would be back in three years and that I would be published, and three years later, I went back with a full photo essay featured in Houston City magazine.

I decided on Houston because I had a friend there, the city was booming and there were plenty of jobs. Not knowing much English, I managed to find a job and to survive the first three years. By then I started to freelance, and I never looked back.


RS: Your work has a lot of themes; tell me about some of the themes and how you became interested in them.  

©John Bernhard Body #6, 2006 from the Bodily Change series

JB: I always work on themes—I actually keep several on the stove at once. I like to think that I specialize in versatility; it stimulates my creativity and gives me a sense of accomplishment. This approach is maybe against the main stream of the contemporary art world. Many of the successful new breed of photographers have for the most part become specialists. Sometime having a broad vision can be a handicap for someone’s career, but for me I cannot get stuck doing the same thing over and over. I like to explore new grounds and I constantly work on ideas, producing essays, photographing people and the female body.

I guess my choice of themes fluctuates between dream and reality, reflection and emotion and also a bit of fascination with transformation. It is the transformation, transition, and change in people, bodies, myself, and our environment that I am after. Transformation has always driven my work, from my nude series to the street scenes of Nicaragua and China. Even in my Diptych series, which is a personal visual odyssey, a journal unveiling my photographic interests, an intense curiosity of some moments in my life brought up through the duality of two images.





RS: Have any photographers or artists in other medias been inspirational to you and your photography?

©John Bernhard Male #1, 2003 from the Etat d’Ame series

JB: Yes, Robert Frank and Ralph Gibson. Robert Frank is the most influential photographer for me. I feel a kinship and the same passion, especially regarding sequencing and bookmaking. I actually met Ralph Gibson in his studio in New York few years ago, and he told me to get in touch with Robert Frank to show my work.

Man Ray and all of the surrealists have also had a profound impact on my work, particularly on my nude series. But everything inspires me—when I am traveling abroad, reading a good book or watching a movie. I am very visual and I always keep my mind open to everything that surrounds me.


RS: You also own and manage DeFrog Gallery. Do you find it difficult to have these responsibilities and produce photography?

JB: Not really, because the Gallery only shows sporadically, maybe two exhibitions a year. The gallery is actually the first floor of my studio that I built twelve years ago. When I realized that I did not use the space much, I decided to turn it into a gallery. I only show mid-career, emerging photographers from all over the world. I had some interesting shows through the years including a show for NASA. It was an inside look at the astronauts in the shuttle in space. The crew, who were present at the opening reception, took all the photographs. It was when Eileen M. Collins was the first woman commander of the shuttle. I also had an exhibition for Jay Branson, in which I had a live nude model painted in gold and performing at the opening. I also participate in all Fotofest events. Besides having fun, I have made some great friends, developed a credible reputation among the local museums, and built a terrific mailing list.

©John Bernhard Plate #4 Washington State, 1984 – Gulf of Mexico, 1997 from the Diptych series

RS: You have published many photography books of your work. Please tell me about these books and how you were able to get them published.

JB: Yes, I have been very fortunate to have six books published and a new one DRIFT to be released by the end of November. It is the ultimate dream of every photographer to have a monograph published and it’s not easy to get it done. I tried different approaches for the book, Nudes Metamorphs. For years I courted a local printer/publisher and finally persuaded him during a slow period to do it. I only received small royalties on that deal, but I had my first book published. For my Nicaragua book, a non-profit organization sponsored it. In this case I gave all the proceeds of the sale of the book to the country’s children. The Diptych book was probably the most profitable because I had underwriters and sponsors, so I already made money before I went to press. There is many ways to get your book published but even with a good publisher you still have to do a lot of work, before and after you have your book. I guess it’s a labor of love.

©John Bernhard Plate #42 Millennium Baby, 2000 – Houston Zoo, 1999 from the Diptych series

RS: You just recently traveled to China. Please tell me about your trip and why you went. If I remember correctly, it was your second trip to Mainland China.

JB: No, it was my third trip. I went there for press checking my new book, DRIFT, published by Elite Editions and to be released this late November. This is probably my biggest challenge in producing a book because of the original approach I took of presenting photographs. In producing DRIFT I have attempted to present the book much like a film, engaging the reader in reflection and observation. I am not interested by the single image in this case—I am interested in the dialog between images. And there are plenty (208 images) all meant to be viewed in the chosen order starting from page one. The sensation of “drift” comes from that order.

As a photographer, I create still images, but I have recognized that my creative process is not complete with a single photograph. The book form allows me to give a deeper meaning and a distinctive shape to a body of work by controlling the space order and flow of the images.  

©John Bernhard Hong Kong Suburb, 2004 from the China series

RS: What is your particular fascination with this country? Do you plan to do a book on China?

JB: On my first trip to China I became fascinated with the Chinese culture. I was overwhelmed by the characters of a people who exhibited an incredible tolerance for the contradiction of life in which they live. They are dealing with an outdated communist system while capitalism dictates the evolution they are currently experiencing. I fell in love with their positive attitude towards this and felt transplanted in time to the American industrial revolution of the 1900s.

My challenge as a photographer was to develop a personal point of view. I recorded my experiences and emotions of Chinese history in the making, and I have already had two exhibitions, which sold prints. So with so much success on this subject, I definitely feel that a book is in the making.

RS: Good luck, and I look forward to seeing it.



To see more of John Bernhard's work or to order his books, visit www.johnbernhard.com.