ACQUE, AMARE | BEA BONAFINI

The practice of Bea Bonafini (Bonn, 1990) focuses on the expressive potential of tapestry, defining itself in the discovery of new interactions between this artifact and artistic techniques in a broader sense. A stylistic approach that translates into complex artworks with an intricate symbolic structure.

Acque, Amare (2023) is presented as a large tapestry, created using the inlay technique. The elements, made of velvet and mixed fibers in different colors—grey, blue, brown, black…—were cut by the artist into curved and harmonious shapes.
Bonafini then has painted with pastels in vibrant shades on every component, giving uniqueness and individuality to each element.

The work explicitly draws inspiration from the story of Parthenope, thus drawing from a mythological imagination but at the same time deeply connected to the history and culture of the territory of Naples and, more generally, to the Mediterranean area as a place of encounters, passages, and exchanges.
In Acque, Amare various figures play both leading and supporting roles at the same time; the marine world and the human world intertwine in an almost magical place where natural boundaries simultaneously disappear and recompose. The horizontal development of the representation does not flatten the composition; on the contrary, it enhances its dynamic and profound characteristics. The eye is captured, invited to participate in this intriguing dance.
The contamination that Bonafini introduces is not limited to the sphere of concept, of historical, literal, and mythological references, but is configured as a true hybridization that, starting from the material, color, and expressive technique, is composed as a complex and articulated, yet harmonious and magnificent unicum.

Acque, Amare was conceived as a site-specific project that participated, and won, the 2023 edition of the ALA Art Prize. The theme of this edition aimed to explore an ideal environment from both a physical and relational perspective, developed on various levels and in all its social, cultural, natural, and artificial nuances.

Bea Bonafini
Acque, Amare, 2023
Pastel on mixed fibers inlay and velvet, 418 x 185 cm
ALA Art Prize 2023. © Amedeo Benestante. Courtesy the artist and ALA SpA.

Bea Bonafini, Acque, Amare, 2023, pastel on mixed fibers inlay and velvet, 418 x 185 cm.
Installation view from ALA Art Prize 2023. © Amedeo Benestante. Courtesy the artist and ALA SpA.

12/06/24