Thursday, April 11, 2024

Renowned Autistic Artist Vito Bonanno's Artwork in the Corporate Collections of AMAZON and Google

 

Image: 'Journal', by internationally collected artist Vito Bonanno's Dreams & Reminiscing series (2020) - made with oil paint, india ink, oil stick or oil paint pen on canvas, 30″H x 40″W. This painting was acquired by Google for their Leesburg, VA offices.

Bonanno taps into the daily emotional and social challenges of living with autism, placing his innermost feelings onto canvas. He is an award-winning, world-famous artist with a career spanning back to his childhood.

Internationally collected artist Vito Bonanno taps into the daily emotional and social challenges of living with autism, placing his innermost feelings onto canvas. The New England-based artist's work is image and concept-driven and embedded in his personal philosophy. His art contains the essence of his life, feelings, thoughts, and dreams, coupled with objects or topics that "get stuck in his head", including traffic lights, grids, ceiling fans, graffiti, and pop culture. Corporate clients include AMAZON, Google, and The Hartford.

Vito is aligned with ArtLifting, which is a non-for-profit art organization that empowers artists living with disabilities through the celebration and sale of their artwork. ArtLifting is about creating opportunity, empowerment, and validation. This collaboration opened many new and exciting opportunities for the artist, which includes his work in Google's corporate collection, with art hanging in their Leesburg, VA offices, as well as Amazon, for one of their corporate buildings in Seattle, Washington.

Bonanno was diagnosed with PDD/Autism just before his 4th birthday. Because he was language delayed, his parents and teachers developed strategies that tapped into his high visual acuity, utilizing storyboard styles to relay academic and social information. He was also encouraged to draw in storyboard format to express his feelings. The storyboard grid remains prominent in his work and studio preparation today and is a poignant reminder of a boy who was trapped in his own mind. For more information about this artist, for inquiries, or to commission work contact vito@vitobonanno.com / visit https://vitobonanno.com/

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Art Exhibition 'Memory Soup' at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale

 


Memory Soup is an exhibition at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale showcasing artwork in all media by Broward County teens curated by student members of NSU Art Museum’s Teen Art Council, which highlights the unique perspectives and experiences of teens across Broward County. On view from April 4 – 14, 2024.

The Teen Art Council (TAC) at NSU Art Museum embraces teens and empowers peers within the museum space by providing programming and support that enhances leadership skills, critical-thinking and developmental milestones for an emerging professional. By fostering a designated, incubated safe space for teens’ perspectives to convene, NSU Art Museum initiates lifelong relationships with the teen demographic. Its mission is to create spaces and programs for teen representation and bridge the gap between teenagers and NSU Art Museum.


NSU Art Museum Teen Art Council (TAC) Ambassador Seraphina Wagner pictured with one of her three artworks in the exhibition 'Memory Soup', floral sculpture made with metal wire, fine beads and stones with various jewelry elements.


Art Duo KX2, sisters Dana Kleinman & Ruth Avra on view at Coral Springs Art Museum


CORAL SPRINGS MUSEUM OF ART

EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Opening April 11: 
 

"NEAR THE RIVERS THERE ARE MANY LARGE SPRINGS" 

A Group Exhibition with MILENA ARANGO, DONNA RUFF, KX2 (RUTH AVRA AND DANA KLEINMAN)

KX2 is delighted to announce the opening of their new group exhibition at the Coral Springs Museum of Art. This exhibition invites viewers to consider the Florida landscape and explore the evolving environment through the artistic perspectives they have, along with two other distinguished South Florida artists.

KX2's collective endeavor is rooted in an exploration of raw data analysis, the innovative use of repurposed materials, and a deep reverence for nature. Central to their narrative is the critical discourse surrounding the evolving environmental dynamics of our region.

This exhibition will present an array of new works from their studio that not only exemplify the evolution of their practice but also reflect their unwavering commitment to these vital themes. Additionally, KX2 is privileged to feature a new installation of their noteworthy wall sculpture "Boil Notice" reflecting data from March 2024 which serves as a poignant reminder of our interconnectedness with natural resources and infrastructure.

The opening reception will be on April 11th, 5:30-8pm and art lovers and collectors are cordially invited to join as we all celebrate this occasion. 











Ghost Gear, 2024 (studio installation view)
polished stainless steel with found fishing rope, beach debris, paint and mixed media

 
About the exhibit:
 

Near the rivers there are many large springs is an exhibition that highlights the Florida landscape from the lenses of four South Florida artists that use historical elements, raw data, repurposed materials, and nature to create awareness of the changing environment in the area. Milena Arango’s leaf imprints on paper and textile using natural pigments extracted from the teak tree serve as a reflection of her personal journey. Her 197-feet long VTG (Vestigium Tectona Grandis) exposes traces of leaves and the effects of land and water from multiple landscapes. Donna Ruff’s interest in history and the tropical landscape led her to discover archival landscape photographs in a 1920’s book by John Kunkel Small. Inspired by his call to protect Florida’s wetlands a century ago, Ruff’s created silkscreens from her landscape photographs on locations previously captured by Small, and printed them on pages of a book by Small that identifies flora in Miami. KX2 presents artworks made with repurposed materials, raising awareness on issues related to climate change and water infrastructure. Boil Notice focuses on a lack of access to potable water, industrial waste pollution, and the effect of climate change on our water infrastructure. And works from Obstruction Series aim to raise an awareness of the dependence on the vast and hidden networks of utility pipes of our modern world and the pressures they face with climate change, population growth and pollution.

The title of the exhibition comes from the book Ferns of Florida by John Kunkel Small, repurposing a phrase used to describe the lavish conditions that Florida’s landscape offers for the abundant growth of ferns. For an exhibition that celebrates repurposing, re-using, and recovering, the use of this phrase, written almost a hundred years ago, serves as a reminder of the natural conditions of the land we currently inhabit.

Exhibition On ViewApril 11 through July 20, 2024

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