Kaufmann and Mabunda's Art-Meets-Weapons Dialogue in Milan

The Giovanni Bonelli gallery in Milan presents a two-person exhibition pairing Massimo Kaufmann's abstract paintings with Gonçalo Mabunda's sculptures made from decommissioned weapons. Kaufmann (born 1963 in Milan) creates colorful, non-narrative works that avoid symbolism, emphasizing an impersonal vision and tactile qualities through systematic gesture. Mabunda (born 1975 in Maputo, Mozambique) transforms disassembled bullets, rifles, rockets, and machine-gun parts into grotesque tribal masks and symbolic, parodic thrones. His work condemns the sixteen-year civil war that ravaged Mozambique, repurposing cold war scrap into expressive forms without diminishing its power. The contrast between Kaufmann's lyrical warmth and Mabunda's cold iron highlights a dialogue on materiality and meaning. The exhibition runs at Galleria Giovanni Bonelli in Milan.