Sleeping bear, 2026

Rodrigo Hernández’s painting depicts a bear sleeping, or perhaps in hibernation.

Animals recur throughout Hernández’s work, reflecting his sustained interest in how humans conceive of and project onto the consciousness and unconsciousness of animals. Sleeping animals appear often as a way to explore the unconscious mind and the subjectivity of dreams. The bear, an animal which spends much of its life in hibernation, serves as a powerful symbol of this inward state—embodying prolonged withdrawal, latent awareness, and the mystery of experiences that unfold beyond waking consciousness.