James Bonnici
Jul 27 - Aug 13, 2023

REQUEST CATALOGUE;

Transfiguration 
Exhibition 

My current work subverts the representation of the physical world through a processof distorting, juxtaposing and the manipulation of banal, everyday objects to transformfamiliar and recognisable forms into unsettling imagery.

Through this process, ordinary figures, objects and scenes are imbued with a sense of rupture, evoking a strange otherworldly quality.The disruptive nature and incongruities on display here express the idea of the psychological intertwined with the physical, where emotional states such as fear, paranoia and disgust are embodied in the forms of these figures.

The disturbing imagery conveyed in this body of work is made accessible through the use offine, meticulous oil painting and drawing techniques; where subjects are beautifullyrendered and traditionally composed within the historical context of portrait painting, making them simultaneously inviting as well as repellent.

WORDS FROM THE ARTIST

James Bonnici is a contemporary artist based in Naarm/Melbourne, working in the tradition of oilpainting and charcoal drawing. He graduated from RMIT with a Bachelor of Fine Art, and hassince held over 40 solo and group exhibitions as well holding various residencies. Most recentlyhis work was selected as a finalist for the Paul Guest Prize at The Bendigo Art Gallery, as well asthe ‘Timeline’ group exhibition at Espaco Exibicionista Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal.

Photography by;
Annika Kafcaloudis