ELIZA BENETT

Biography

Born in England 1980, Eliza now resides in London. In 1997-1999 she studied a B-Tec National Diploma in Fine Art at Stafford College, specializing in textiles. From this point all formal ‘art’ training ended, as she went on in 1999-2002 to study a B.A. Honors in Fashion Design and Illustration at Middlesex University. This was a course that placed emphasis on concept and the creation of these ideas. In choosing a course she was careful to select one that placed little emphasis on commercial fashion and marketing as she was excited by the sculptural and figurative elements in fashion design and knew early on that she had little desire to embrace the industry as part of her life. After graduating she focused on her artistic development, working freelance creating bespoke pieces to commission. She found a natural gravitation towards costume design and prop making, stemming from her interest in creating a visual narrative by working with concept, form and character. Over the last couple of years she has returned to producing her own artistic work. It continues to be her main drive and focus.

Artist statement

As a visual interpreter, Eliza employs a range of techniques such as sculpting, casting, sewing and carving and applies them to the expression of themes central to existence, such as the formation and disintegration of identity, and the complexity of communication. With her work she is looking to create an iconography of physical existence, concentrating on the wonder of the lived moment, lifting the ‘intentional’ body to a state of reverence and worship. She expresses emotional experience in the form of tactile and animate sensations. Sometimes resulting in fixed sculpture, other times in photography, installation and film.

Pleading Affluenza can be viewed as an offering which provokes contemplation about physicality and the human capacity to perceive and act. The pleading hands are deep buttoned, referencing the style that was characteristically applied to inanimate furnishings of the Victorian bourgeoisie, and encased in an attempt to lift them out of their natural environment. The artist refers to the old and familiar styles of this era of artifice, by way of representing the body as a slightly ridiculous collection of ornamental parts, subject to the same alienating status of inert, lifeless objects.

“Acquisitiveness, riches and idleness had finally trapped her. Commodification of self had been her ultimate sacrifice. She placed herself and her acquisition on show, she stopped moving forwards, her life became still… She could no longer dwell in that soft well upholstered cell.”

 

Biography

John lives and works in NYC. He studied painting at Syracuse University, School of Visual Arts (NYC), LLOTJA (Barcelona) and Tibet House (NYC). From his painting background Bonafede incorporates formal compositional elements into his performance art practice. His work also includes a unique form of street printmaking called chemography. Having studied for years with a Tibetan master Tangkha painter, he helped start a non-profit organization helping nomadic poor children in East Tibet (tibetanbridge.org), which continually influences his work. John co-founded, produced and performed in monthly variety shows in a Midtown Manhattan loft for eight years, bringing his performance art to the fore. He enjoys performing in alternative art spaces as well as established institutions such as MoMA ,NYC (performing for three months in Marina Abramovic: Artist Is Present). Bonafede’s performance art ranges from the socio-political commentary to testing the physical limits of his body. The performances often challenge accepted formal notions of line, forms or painting and sculptural mediums. Video documentation is taken as an additional art medium for his performances to be viewed in. His career as a Production Designer and Art Director bear direct influence on his videos. His storyboards are those of a draftsman with years of experience writing/ illustrating graphic novels. Designing the sets and costumes is part of his process. Durational and installation-oriented performances often appear, reflecting his love for special design.

Artist statement

This performance took place at English Kills Gallery in 2010 during SITE Fest in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Bonafede intersperses images from his time in Tibet with the ritualized writing of the Tibetan alphabet being dictated to him by a Tibetan refugee, Lhumdup, in traditional attire. The prayer wheel that Lhumdup spins reminds us that the Sutra that is coiled within the wheel and the language written and spoken in Tibet are interwoven aspects of the culture. Soon the chalk alphabet transcribed on the gallery floor catches the attention of dancer Juri Onuki who attempts to erase the language with her hard bristle brush shoes. As her dance of erasure quickens so does the transcribing of the Tibetan alphabet. Latzho is forced to move out of his comfortable chair and cuts through the gallery audience (see Tibetan refugees). As Bonafede follows, he tries to write faster while Onuki’s dance grows to a feverish pitch. The interspersed video from the Kham region of Tibet mimics this traditional culture in jeopardy of being consumed by globalization and modernization. Details from images of the Buddha (Tibetan Tangkha style) get drawn and erased as well as the line through the gallery reaches its final destination, a rear door exit.

This performance is dedicated to the amazing Tibetan folks, and to all traditional cultures who continue to try to improve their lives and culture under very frustrating conditions. Special thanks go to Sonam – my Tibetan language teacher, Chloe Bass – SITE Festival Organizer, Scott Herriot – Camera, Ira Hardy – Camera and Editing and Samten Dakpa – Co-Founder of Tibetanbridge.org. Additional video footage from Tibet by John Bonafede

www.johnbonafede.com