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Here we are with another STWT, it's Volume 16 and I headed back to one of my favorite galleries, Tanya Bonakdar to see their first solo exhibition with Monica Bonvicini.
Put All Heaven in a Rage is a vast show displaying Bonvicini's many works across several mediums. Something you'll notice off the bat is the use of the space. It almost feels like you have stepped into an anarchists living room. In the center you have a chainmail hammock next to a hanging sculpture of chainsaws covered in black rubber. On one wall hangs three color mirrored pieces each with an opening and a tongue sticking out. Behind is a piece that spoke to me right away, a modern tapestry if you will, of leather belts woven together.
Throughout all her work there is a connected voice of feminine strength pushing past cultural associations and antiquated power dynamics. And while there is rage literally in the title of the show, she also balances that sense of fury with bits of humor through poppy tones of yellow and pink. Going against traditional encounters with art, Bonvicini invites viewers to take a seat in the hammock and directly interact with her work. Engagement with her pieces is just one way she is pushing boundaries past social norms.
Her strong use of materiality is met with thoughtful metaphors. The reflective components play with the notion of voyeurism, narcissism, and self-awareness. The use of the divided spaces begins the conversation of public and private realms. Bonvicini is teasing the idea of societal expectations that surround relationships and desires both in front and behind closed doors. Many of her signatures include chains, handcuffs, black rubber, mirror, and leather. Challenging gender stereotypes through these motifs confronts feminism directly while maintaining her tongue-in-cheek wit.
With work playing on the idea of gender norms I thought it most relevant to wear the Perth Jacket and Prague Dress. The Perth Jacket was born from a men's military inspired jacket and intentionally has that oversized masculine fit. It really is a piece that suits all sorts of frames with a boxy shape hitting just around the low hip. I love to pair it with the Prague Dress, an asymmetrical front mini dress with a severe racerback tank neckline. The balance between hard and soft is also reflective in the cotton twill woven fabric in the Perth harmonized by the cotton slub jersey knit in the Prague.
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