The Alchemy of Bea Bonafini’s Interdisciplinary Practice

Drawing from ancient mythologies and dreamlike visions, Bea Bonafini’s interdisciplinary practice creates intimate and intricate worlds that explore fantasy, tactility, and dimensionality. The unique choice of interplaying different mediums and materials, from cork to carpet, is a defining feature of the artist’s practice. Interweaving painting and tapestry, sculpture and architecture, Bonafini’s multi-layered artwork expands the parameters of traditional artistic mediums and questions the boundaries of form and identity. Her multidimensional figures fluidly merge and metamorphose into one another. Transcending the boundaries of representation, Bea Bonafini’s artwork invites us to enter the liminal space where the earthly and the ethereal magically converge.

Bea Bonafini is an Italian artist currently living in Barcelona. She previously obtained an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art and a BA in Fine Art from UCL, Slade School of Fine Art. Bonafini’s solo exhibitions include Nosbaum Reding, Luxembourg (2022); Bosse & Baum, London (2022 and 2019); Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Rome (2022); Setareh Gallery, Berlin (2022); LAAA (Laboratorio de Arte, Arquitectura y Arqueología), Mexico City (2022); Renata Fabbri, Milan (2021 and 2018); Eduardo Secci, Florence (2021); Operativa, Rome (2020); Chloe Salgado, Paris (2019); Lychee One Gallery, London (2018); Zabludowicz Collection, London (2017); and Fieldworks Gallery, London (2017).

What brought you into the art world? Do you have any memories from your childhood that drove you to become an artist?

I had a really supportive and adventurous family that travelled the world, that let me express myself in the weirdest ways. As long as I was happy, they were too. Growing up in Australia introduced me to what we can call expanded painting. Spending time with aboriginal communities and having some of their art at home was, I think, the first powerful input I had. From a really young age I saw painting as something fluid and unrestricted, interlaced with coded symbolism.

The unique choice of painting on different mediums and materials - from cork to carpet - is a defining feature of your interdisciplinary practice. What is the inspiration behind your continuous exploration of different mediums?

I counterpose my love of painting to my desire to redefine its parameters. I look up to artists who amplify notions of painting and cross-fertilise mediums, like Wangechi Mutu, Nancy Spero, Emma Talbot, Francesco Clemente, Fortunato Depero and Enrico David.

Bea Bonafini, *Unearthly*, Nosbaum Reding, Luxembourg. 29.9.2022 - 05.11.2022

How have your multicultural life experiences - having lived in Perth, Rome, London, Paris, Athens, and now Barcelona - informed your practice?

My nomadic upbringing brought with it the challenge of adapting to new cultures every few years. It gave me itchy feet. Now, that spirit of experimentation that leads to new territories is a vital aspect of my work. Each medium, technique and material feels like unlocking a distinct tongue.

Your whimsical, dreamlike artwork often contains otherworldly imagery and fantastical narratives. What do the fluid figures and mystical motifs in your work convey?

I want to question the boundaries of the body and identity. I align myself with Jean-Luc Nancy or Donna Haraway’s philosophies on the disintegration of singularity and the honouring of multiple alterities. I bring to life multidimensional, transcendent beings, chimaeras and promiscuous spirits.

Can you describe your creative process?

Whatever happens, I’m in the studio everyday on weekdays. I tackle multiple works at the same time, it keeps the studio dynamic and I feel like I’m flexing different muscles in my brain throughout the day. I scatter drawings and sketches around the space as little guides, and I work impulsively. If something’s got to come out, it’ll crawl its way out eventually!

What motivates you to create?

Meeting the unknown.

What is your philosophy on life?

Everything flows. Breathe deeply, accept impermanence and the cycles of life.

What would be a dream project for you to work on?

Perhaps an immersive space dedicated to play and pleasure. Maybe it would take the form of a massive playground for children and adults, with soft sculptures and ceramics, lined with carpets and tapestries and painted tunnels. Food designed to challenge your expectations, served on an elongated picnic table where everyone eats together like an Agape feast.

Any exciting plans you’re currently working towards?

I’m currently preparing a solo show at Kristin Hjellegjerde in Miami, in March!