Andre Bertalino’s professional art career got off to a precocious start. As an elementary school student, he sold a picture of a dragon for 10 cents to a classmate. While in high school, he would often pick the lock to the art room to get in some extra, unsanctioned hours of artwork. A couple decades later, he’s still doing the same thing – on a grander scale, of course.
After breaking into the New York City art scene during the 2000s, Bertalino grew uneasy in the big city due to Sept. 11-induced malaise. He bounced around a bit, and he’s now making his mark in Concord – a sleepier town than New York City, for sure, but not without its perks.
“It’s safe here,” Bertalino said. “I’ve never been mugged here.”
That safety comes with a price. While the thriving NYC art scene is a tough (and expensive) one to make your mark in, the structure is already in place for up-and-coming artists. In Concord, Bertalino doesn’t see that same structure.
“There are no young people moving to New Hampshire – they are all moving away!” Bertalino said. “The reason for that is that there is no culture. If there was an art scene – and I mean a dynamic one, not just one or two galleries – it would be different. There has to be an outlet. I think when people see my shows and see that they are sold out, it encourages them to paint and put a good price tag on it.”
With a different scene to cater to, Bertalino’s style has evolved a bit. Vast, challenging ponderings of deconstructed skyscrapers don’t hold much truck in a city without a skyline to speak of. For now, Bertalino’s original oeuvre of post-cubist oils of monolithic advanced architecture have given way to more street art-inspired spraypainted works focusing on urban decay.
“There hasn’t been an art movement since Warhol,” Bertalino mused. “The current contemporary art is ‘anything-goes’ art.” In that spirit, Bertalino has fused the Banksy/Shepherd Fairey-era stenciled street art style with the sardonic humor of the low-brow art he grew up with as a young New Yorker. His next show, debuting March 29 at Wonder Made, features big, colorful spraypainted pieces like “Everything is Fine – Keep Shopping.”
“I like to work around the edges; find the edges and push them,” Bertalino said. He attributes much of his artistic success to his singular focus on his craft.
“I buy food so I can eat and fuel myself to make art,” Bertalino said. “I take care of my body so I can make art. Look at any ‘genius’ throughout history. They weren’t geniuses, they just had fewer moving parts. They were just more focused.”
