Ocean and Caffeine: Cosima von Bonin
Ocean and Caffeine
Cosima von Bonin, Magasin III Jaffa
April 11, 2019 – August 30, 2019
Curator: Karmit Galili
Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art in Stockholm is pleased to announce Ocean and Caffeine by Cosima von Bonin, the third exhibition in its permanent satellite space in Jaffa, greater Tel Aviv, since it opened in January 2018. The solo exhibition will feature seven works by von Bonin created between 2001–2018, allowing a profound overview of the artist’s long-term fascination with the ocean, the different life forms that inhabit it and their relationship to human beings.
An artist of international renown, Cosima von Bonin was born in 1962 in Mombasa, Kenya, grew up in Austria, and for the past decades has been living in Cologne, Germany. Von Bonin is known for large-scale, mixed-media installations that incorporate sculptural pieces, textile “paintings” and sound, as well as film, video and performance. She is inspired by popular and vernacular culture, folk art, fashion, hip-hop, techno and personal experiences. Although in first glance it might look like an amusement park, von Bonin works oscillate between humor and darkness, playfulness and urgency, fantasy and terrifying reality.
Ocean and Caffeine, curated by Karmit Galili from Magasin III Jaffa, features seven works by von Bonin, four of which are part of Magasin III’s collection. Item (2001) is 11-meter long boat dressed in an impressive, tailor-made fabric cover. The work was produced especially for Magasin III’s 2001 exhibition Free Port. Seasons in the Abyss (2006) featuresan octopus, a recurring marine species in von Bonin’s work, made of fabric and glass. Deprionen: A Voyage to the Sea (2006) is a large-scale “textile painting” measuring 3.19 meters long and 3.57 meters wide.
HERMIT CRAB IN FAKE ROYÈRE & MVO’S HERMIT CRAB [FAKE ROYÈRE] (2010), a work accompanied by music form contemporary composer Moritz von Oswald, features another marine species, a hermit crab leisurely lounging on a chair originally designed by noted interior designer Jean Royère, part of a set of whimsical garden furniture commissioned from him in 1958 by Princess Shahnaz, daughter of the Shah of Iran. The show’s concluding group of works includes WHAT IF IT BARKS 5 (PETITE VERSION WITH BLUE UKULELE), WHAT IF IT BARKS 6 (PETITE VERSION WITH BLACK UKULELE), and WHAT IF IT BARKS 7 (COFFEE POT VERSION)(all 2018), continued the artist’s exploration of marine motifs, with dressed up mackerels and surfing boards from the 70th.
“Ocean and Caffeine is a wonderful and unusual opportunity for local and international audiences alike to view an important selection of works spanning some 20 years in the career of this fascinating artist. In addition to being von Bonin’s first ever exhibition in Israel, it is also the first time that Magasin III Jaffa is showing works from the museum’s comprehensive collection, housed in Stockholm,” says the show’s curator, Karmit Galili.
About Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art
The museum is one of Europe’s leading institutions for contemporary art. Magasin III believes in the ability of art to challenge and inspire people and society. Since 1987, Magasin III has presented world-class exhibitions and continues to fortify its collection, which holds works by leading artists. Recent highlight exhibitions in Stockholm include Tom Friedman, Katarina Grosse, Tony Oursler, Mika Rottenberg, Ai Weiwei, Andrea Zittel and Gunnel Wåhlstrand.
In January 2018 Magasin III opened a permanent satellite space in Jaffa, with an inaugural exhibition by Haim Steinbach. It was followed by a solo show by Sheila Hicks, which opened in October 2018. The space is located at 34 Olei Zion Street, in a residential neighborhood rich with history and cultural diversity that borders Jaffa’s famous flea market. Magasin III Jaffa’s diverse program features both local and international artists.
About Cosima von Bonin
Cosima von Bonin was born in 1962 in Mombasa, Kenya, grew up in Austria, and has been based in Cologne, Germany, for many years now. She studied at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg, Germany. Von Bonin has exhibited internationally, in both solo and group exhibitions. Her first major U.S. survey, Roger and Out, opened in 2007 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Other institutional one-person exhibitions were held at the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK), Vienna (2014); Artipelag, Gustavsberg, Sweden (2013); the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (2011); Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2011); Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneva (2011); the Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne (2004); Kunstverein Hamburg (2001); Kunstverein Braunschweig, Germany (2000); and Kunsthalle St. Gallen, Switzerland (1999). In addition, von Bonin has participated in group exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Les Abbatoirs, Toulouse, France; and documenta 12, Kassel, Germany, among many others.
Von Bonin’s work is included in many notable collections worldwide, including the Tate Britain; the Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany; Magasin III, Stockholm; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
For press inquiries please contact:
Andrew Wasserstein, Xhibition PR
E: andrew@xhibition.com
T+972(0)52-616-3268
Ross Belfer, Xhibition PR
E: ross@xhibition.com
T: +972(0)54-811-0476
