Melanie Bonajo

Melanie Bonajo is an artist born in the Netherlands working with performance, installations, music, event organizing, and photography. Her works address themes of eroding intimacy and isolation in an increasingly sterile, technological world.[1] Her experimental documentaries often explore communities living or working on the margins of society, either through illegal means or cultural exclusion.

“Her practice, very similar to the practice of a film director, reveals her ability to connect with people and contexts, creating a choral storyline out of them. She touches the audience by addressing universal needs through a playful and fantastic visual language, validated by urgent matters.” -Emma Panza "Hunting for Female Legacies"

Her work has been exhibited and screened internationally, from De Appel Arts Centre and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to the Center for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, the Moscow Biennial, International Documentary Film Festical (IDFA), the Berlinale, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Treefort Film Fest.[2]

Notable work

Her most recent film Progress vs. Regress addresses the ways elderly people are affected by the drastic technological advancements of the past century in daily life and communication. Her film series Night Soil is a trio of experimental documentaries about modern approaches to nature and the cultural implications of acting against capitalism. The first in the series, Night Soil - Fake Paradise, is about psychedelic plant medication and human-plant conversations.[3] The sequel, Night Soil - Economy of Love presents an alternative ethical model for sex-work activism. The third film, "Night Soil - Nocturnal Gardening" questions the role of radical agriculture in a world of dwindling natural resources.

Music and Performance

Bonajo has performed internationally at venues such as Paradiso in Amsterdam, Baby's Alright in NYC and Collège des Bernardins in Paris alongside artists such as Kembra Pfahler and Bianca Cassidy of CocoRosie.[4] Her band, ZaZaZoZo, is a music project with Joseph Marzolla known for its tribal pop sound and animalistic influence.[5] Their single, Woke up as a Wolf, was released in 2014.

Feminism

Bonajo's Furniture Bondage photography series pairs domestic tools with the naked female body.[6] In 2012 she initiated Genital International, a feminist performance collective event about participation and equality. Bonajo's photography series and music video work Pee on Presidents is often tied to the recent anti-censorship and sex-positive branches of the feminist movement for its endorsement of female body agency in public environments, resulting in a provocation of censorship laws in the media.[7]

Current

As of March 2016, Bonajo, along with curators Maaike Gouwenberg and Emma Panza, was shortlisted to represent The Netherlands at the 57th Venice Biennale. Her third Night Soil film to complete the trilogy will premiere at the Tate Modern's Artists' Cinema in London September 7, 2016.[8]

“The method of Bonajo is representative of practices of a younger generation that is based on collectivity and exchange.”[9]

Selected works

Filmography

Discography

Photography

Publications

Events and Curatorial

Solo Shows

Group Shows

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Frank, Priscilla. "Meet The High Priestess Of The Anti-Selfie, Dutch Artist Melanie Bonajo", "Huffington Post", 2 November 2015. Retrieved on 7 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Isa Genzken Door De Ogen Van Melanie Bonajo - Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam." 1 January 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Yoshimura, Courtney. "Melanie Bonajo Speaks about Her New Video at the De Appel Arts Centre" "ArtForum", 8 October 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Bonajo, Melanie. "MELANIE MEETS BIANCA CASADY" 28 July 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Bonajo, Melanie. "Kim Hiorthøy by Melanie Bonajo", "BOMB Magazine", 29 October 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "AVANTGARDE PORTFOLIO SHOWCASE | MELANIE BONAJO | GALLERY", "Lightra", Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Frank, Priscilla. "15 Feminist Artists Respond To The Censorship Of Women’s Bodies Online", "The Huffington Post", 13 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Tate Modern. "2016 Cinema Programme", "e-flux", New York. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Vijf plannen op shortlist Nederlands paviljoen Biënnale Venetië" "Mondriaan Fonds", Amsterdam. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  10. ↑ http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/gallery/18284/6/capricious-day-melanie-bonajo
  11. ↑ http://www.akinci.nl/Bonajo/Melanie%20Bonajo.htm

External links

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