Oct 17th 2026

Marianne Bernstein: Talk to Me

@ Mana Contemporary

2233 S Throop St, Chicago, IL 60608

Opening Saturday, October 17th, from 12PM - 5PM

Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 12–5 PM
Mana Contemporary | Studio 217 | Chicago

An intimate participatory installation transforms conversation into a handwritten poem.

For Fall Open Studios at Mana Contemporary, artist Marianne Bernstein presents Talk to Me, an installation and interactive performance inside her 10 × 10-foot Nomadicube.

Visitors are invited to enter the cube and sit with Bernstein for a personal conversation. Drawing from the exchange, Bernstein will create an original handwritten poem for each participant—a one-of-a-kind gift for them to take home.

As the poem is being written, the intimate act inside the cube expands beyond its walls: onlookers can watch the words unfold through projections, witnessing a private conversation transform into a work of art.

Bernstein is a photographer and interdisciplinary artist whose projects have brought people together throughout the United States and abroad, often engaging with complex histories through conversation, participation, and human connection.

In 2022, Bernstein was invited to bring her ongoing project, Nomadicube, to the MDW Fair at Mana Contemporary. Her installation Nari’s Garden explored the anonymity and despair surrounding teenage gun violence. Bernstein invited her friend Jalisa Ford and other mothers who had lost children to gun violence to gather, share their stories, and create memorials honoring their children.

“I continue to be moved by the healing possibilities of gathering—of making space for people to speak, listen, and be seen. Talk to Me grows from that belief, transforming a personal exchange into a poem.”

Bernstein recently joined Mana Contemporary as a resident artist.

Artist: Marianne Bernstein
Website: mariannebernstein.com

Instagram: @mariannebern @nomadicube

Contact: mariannebern@mac.com

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