Bea Bonafini: Painting Beyond the Canvas
Bea Bonafini, a London-based artist with an MA in painting from the Royal College of Art (2016) and a BA in Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art (2014), creates immersive installations that blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and textile art. Her recent solo exhibitions include Bosse and Baum (London, 2019), Lychee One (London, 2018), Renata Fabbri (Milan, 2018), and Zabludowicz Collection (London, 2017). In September 2019, she will have a solo show at Galerie Chloé Salgado in Paris and participate in a residency at the British School at Rome. Bonafini's practice evolved from traditional oil painting to working with materials like carpet inlay, pastel, and tapestry, inspired by domestic crafts and the Gee's Bend quilt-making movement. She describes her approach as 'painting without being painted,' using a sculptural process to create works that are placed on the floor or hung, challenging conventional hierarchies of art. Her titles often draw from song lyrics or diary entries. Bonafini cites ancient art, particularly fragmented objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum, as major influences, along with artists like Ernesto Neto who fuse multiple disciplines.
Key facts
- Bea Bonafini earned an MA in painting from the Royal College of Art in 2016 and a BA in Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2014.
- Solo exhibitions include Bosse and Baum (London, 2019), Lychee One (London, 2018), Renata Fabbri (Milan, 2018), and Zabludowicz Collection (London, 2017).
- In September 2019, she will have a solo show at Galerie Chloé Salgado in Paris and a residency at the British School at Rome.
- She participated in residencies including La Berlugane-Maleki Residency (2019), Platform Southwark Studio Residency (2018), FiBRA Colombia (2018), Fieldworks Studio Residency (2017), Villa Lena (2016), and The Beekeepers Residency (2015).
- Bonafini transitioned from oil painting to working with textiles, inspired by domestic quilts and the Gee's Bend collective.
- She creates 'paintings that are not paintings' using carpet inlay and pastel, often placing works on the floor to subvert traditional viewing hierarchies.
- Her work is influenced by ancient art from Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as contemporary artists like Ernesto Neto.
- She views her installations as 'symbolic navigation,' where each piece dialogues with the space and other works.
Entities
Artists
- Bea Bonafini
- Ernesto Neto
Institutions
- Royal College of Art
- Slade School of Fine Art
- Bosse and Baum
- Lychee One
- Renata Fabbri
- Zabludowicz Collection
- Galerie Chloé Salgado
- British School at Rome
- La Berlugane-Maleki Residency
- Platform Southwark Studio Residency
- FiBRA Colombia
- Fieldworks Studio Residency
- Villa Lena
- The Beekeepers Residency
- Gee's Bend
- Artribune
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Milan
- Italy
- Paris
- France
- Rome
- Salzburg
- Austria
- Nepal
- Colombia