Dates
Jun 4 – Jul 5, 2026
For her inaugural exhibition at Plato, Chicago-based artist Cindy Bernhard will present a new body of work centered on larger-than-life-size photorealistic depictions of gold vases personifying the Seven Deadly Sins. Bernhard’s Neo-Baroque compositions, dramatic settings and chiaroscuro lighting underscore the tension and poignancy of the current moment, in which excess and ever-accelerating stimuli generate both endless temptation and a profound need for redemption. Cindy Bernhard (b. 1989) is a painter who lives and works in Chicago, IL. Bernhard received her MFA from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2014 and her BFA from the American Academy of Art in 2011. Recent and upcoming solo exhibitions include PLATO, New York, NY (2026), Volery Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2025), Andrew Rafacz, Chicago, IL (2024), Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (2024), Long Story Short, New York, NY (2024) and Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY (2023). Bernhard’s work has been shown in group exhibitions at numerous galleries, including Harper’s Gallery, New York, NY (2024), The Bunker Art Space, Palm Beach, FL (2024), De Boer Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2024), Plato, New York, NY (2024), Andrew Rafacz, Chicago, IL (2024), Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, MA (2024), Casa Santa Ana, Panama City, Panama (2024), Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY (2023), Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago, IL (2022), Carlye Packer, Palm Springs, CA (2022), Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (2022), Field Projects, New York, NY (2021) and Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL (2020), among many others. Bernhard’s work has been written about in various publications, including Bad At Sports, Broccoli, Hypebeast, Juxtapoz, Newcity, New American Paintings and New York Magazine. Her work is in the collection of several institutions, including the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, Spain, and Zuzan’s Collection at Zuzeum Art Centre in Riga, Latvia.