Awol Gallery

Website Links

Description

Ross Bonfanti was born in 1969, Toronto, Canada. A graduate of Ontario College of Art and Design in 1997, Bonfanti has worked mainly with found objects and manufactured materials from the urban landscape. He incorporates traditional elements of drawing and painting within his assemblages to bring forth the disturbing, humourous and beautiful. Bonfanti is an active member of the Toronto art scene taking part in numerous projects such as Co-founder of Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts, AWOL Gallery and Studios and C1 Art Space. His work has been exhibited and represented by various galleries both in Canada and abroad as well as held in the national collection of the Art Bank of Canada Arts Council. Ross Bonfanti combines the disturbing, humourous and beautiful. Producing thought-provoking works that are at once both sculpture and canvas, he brings forth beauty in the humble and the unexpected. Many of his works incorporate a sculptural element stemming from his use of a variety of found materials. Wood, metal, cloth, plastic and glass as well as manufactured goods as diverse as shot glasses, toy soldiers and other are combined and transformed in his work. Heavy Heads Series. A reoccurring image in my work has been that of infants. In the series Heavy Heads, they resurface cast in cement. Here they symbolize the average urban dweller caught in the midst of routine occurrences. The distortion of the heads create a sense of pressure and uneasiness which is meant to remind us of the constant flow of information and the chaotic life style to which we have grown accustomed. The awkwardly frail bodies drawn on wood are symbolic of the weary and transitory aspect of our existence. The Watchscapes Series is a literal reference to how time structures the dynamic of the urban existence, incorporates watch parts and encaustic painting to create a skyline of a city. Wrist bands, watch faces and various mechanisms are used for the foundation while the wax and paint form the atmosphere and surrounding activities. The Tree Series, which brings the tree back to wood, uses found pieces recovered from our built surroundings. I scrape and carve to reveal an impression of each panel’s origin, while maintaining some of the history of its journey. The Figurines Series takes abandoned, broken collectables and repairs them through sculpting and painting. Inspired by the remnants of each found piece, I embellish on their imperfections to give altered meanings and a renewed existence. The Concreatures are cast inner forms of once loved and cherished plush toys. These stuff animals are frozen in a petrified state that solidify their importance and recorded memory through past physical manipulation and emotional associations. Galleries featuring Bonfanti's work include: XEXE Gallery info@xexegallery.com (Toronto) LíAutre Galerie info@lautregalerie.com ( Montreal) Rebecca Hossack Gallery

Products & services

Similar companies nearby