Friday night, when Benicia’s Torchlight Parade is over, an unusual form of patriotic entertainment will begin on First Street.

Benicia artist Randy Bernard will put his own spin on the Independence Day holiday with a performance art exhibition at Gallerie Renee Marie, located near the top of First Street.

Inspired by the documentary film “Cutie and the Boxer,” about the 40-year marriage of boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko, Bernard will box paint a mural of the American flag.

“He had a young wife, and for him to stay fit he took these boxing gloves and taped sponges to them,” Bernard said of Shinohara. “He would make a big mural by dipping the gloves in paint and socking the wall.”

Bernard will put his own twist on the technique, “of course going patriotic because of the parade,” he said.

He will paint his mural to music on a 4-foor-by-6-foot piece of plywood.

Bernard also has invited local boxer Ryan Bourland to be present for a meet and greet, and there will be a nod to John Heenan, the 19th-century boxing hero known as the “Benicia Boy.”

“I thought I’d put those elements together, me boxing the painting, the actual boxer, young kid coming up and the historic figure from Benicia, The Benicia Boy,” Bernard said.

There will be other special guests, like DJ Dan Churchill, and the national anthem will be sung by Aria.

Along with the performance, Bernard has a positive awareness message he wishes to pass along.

“I want to alert people and make them aware of what they are really putting in their mouths food-wise,” he said. “What’s in our supermarkets, where that comes from, where the meat comes from.”

Bernard has created fliers that include a list of documentaries that explain where our food comes from.

“There’s like five corporations, and that’s it,” he said.

“All of the things that are put into our food, we are led to believe that it is OK, but it is not OK.

“My idea was to paint this patriotic picture, have the boxer to grab (people’s) attention, but at the same time, ‘Hey, look. You’re not eating food … it’s a food-like substance,’” he said.

“It should be interesting.”

If You Go
Randy Bernard’s performance will take place Friday immediately following the Torchlight Parade at Gallerie Renee Marie, 1038 First St.