Sfiorare Fantasmi
From September 9 to November 6 2021, NOVO is pleased to present “Sfiorare Fantasmi” (Brush against Ghosts), the first solo show in Florence of Bea Bonafini. Curated by Edoardo Monti, the exhibition explores the latest representations by the Italian artist through the different media distinguishing her practice. Drawing from mythology, fantasy and folk-tales, the body of works presented in the show mixes different techniques and materials, such as drawing, handmade tapestry, ceramic and cork, unveiling the coexistence of new material possibilities with craftsmanship within Bea Bonafini’s artefacts. The viewer is confronted with aquatic creatures, dissolving bodies and hybrid shapes – an imagery populated by water fairies as much as grotesque characters resembling medieval tarots. Those of Bea Bonafini are ambiguous figures, fluid in their gender connotation, and sometimes zoomorphic – evanescent silhouettes that recall the magical, encouraging us to investigate the most transcendent dimension of universal human experiences. The images are fragmented, – like in the cork works, where the color sections are carefully cut out and then reintegrated within the composition, or in the big tapestry piece Face of the Deep I (2021), conceived as if it was a textile collage – they melt, losing the boundaries of their bodily presence, and collide. Personal and collective narratives are intertwined, as well as enchantment and reality, spirituality and transcendent, creating a space of almost mystic encounters, where we can only brush against ghosts without being able to grasp them: close enough to be fascinated by this world without being scared.
From September 9 to November 6 2021, NOVO is pleased to present “Sfiorare Fantasmi” (Brush against Ghosts), the first solo show in Florence of Bea Bonafini. Curated by Edoardo Monti, the exhibition explores the latest representations by the Italian artist through the different media distinguishing her practice. Drawing from mythology, fantasy and folk-tales, the body of works presented in the show mixes different techniques and materials, such as drawing, handmade tapestry, ceramic and cork, unveiling the coexistence of new material possibilities with craftsmanship within Bea Bonafini’s artefacts. The viewer is confronted with aquatic creatures, dissolving bodies and hybrid shapes – an imagery populated by water fairies as much as grotesque characters resembling medieval tarots. Those of Bea Bonafini are ambiguous figures, fluid in their gender connotation, and sometimes zoomorphic – evanescent silhouettes that recall the magical, encouraging us to investigate the most transcendent dimension of universal human experiences. The images are fragmented, – like in the cork works, where the color sections are carefully cut out and then reintegrated within the composition, or in the big tapestry piece Face of the Deep I (2021), conceived as if it was a textile collage – they melt, losing the boundaries of their bodily presence, and collide. Personal and collective narratives are intertwined, as well as enchantment and reality, spirituality and transcendent, creating a space of almost mystic encounters, where we can only brush against ghosts without being able to grasp them: close enough to be fascinated by this world without being scared.
Bea Bonafini, Sealed, 2020Gouache on engraved cork
25 x 25 cm
9 7/8 x 9 7/8 in
Bea Bonafini, When we come together we multiply, 2020Gouache on engraved cork
37 x 31 cm
14 5/8 x 12 1/4 in
Bea Bonafini, Diver I, 2018Mixed carpet inlay, wood and pastel
210 x 90 cm
82 5/8 x 35 3/8 in
Bea Bonafini, Bathing Melusine, 2019Stained porcelain, black clay, sea glass and salted water
62 x 52 cm
24 3/8 x 20 1/2 in
Bea Bonafini, Face of the Deep I, 2021Pastel on mixed carpet inlay
300 x 300 cm
118 1/8 x 118 1/8 in
Bea Bonafini (1990, Bonn, Germania) lives and works in London. She studied at the Royal College of Art and at the Slade School of Fine Art of London. Bonafini is an interdisciplinary artist, whose work draws from oneiric visions, overlapping personal and ancient mythologies. Her practice explore the possibilities and interplay of painting, tapestry and sculpture. Holistic perspectives are developed in close dialogue with architecture, where works are expanded in space to envelop the viewer. Acting as protected spheres, Bonafini’s installations act as openings onto encounters between the earthly and the otherworldly. Her works have been exhibited at Villa Berlugane, Beaulieu- sur-Mer (2020); Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Guarene (2020); Operativa, Rome (2020); Chloe Salgado, Paris (2019); Bosse & Baum, London (2019); Renata Fabbri, Milan (2018).
Bea Bonafini (1990, Bonn, Germania) lives and works in London. She studied at the Royal College of Art and at the Slade School of Fine Art of London. Bonafini is an interdisciplinary artist, whose work draws from oneiric visions, overlapping personal and ancient mythologies. Her practice explore the possibilities and interplay of painting, tapestry and sculpture. Holistic perspectives are developed in close dialogue with architecture, where works are expanded in space to envelop the viewer. Acting as protected spheres, Bonafini’s installations act as openings onto encounters between the earthly and the otherworldly. Her works have been exhibited at Villa Berlugane, Beaulieu- sur-Mer (2020); Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Guarene (2020); Operativa, Rome (2020); Chloe Salgado, Paris (2019); Bosse & Baum, London (2019); Renata Fabbri, Milan (2018).
- Chico da Silva,
- Jordy Kerwick
- Daria Dmytrenko
