Ross Bonfanti
The anti-heroic sculpture of Ross Bonfanti is energised by a tension between the delicate and the sturdy, the fixed and the flexible. With tufted birds dangling precariously from wrought-iron bars, teddies stacked in haphazard towers and woodland bears balanced on rusted cans, expectations of weight, weightlessness, texture and form are fully de-stabilised.
Bonfanti's concreatures are created from cement, hardware materials and found soft toys, all collected in the artist’s native Toronto. But even as he redefines their sumptuous bodies and studs them with nails and screws, Bonfanti deliberately retains the toys’ fluffy seams, their felt noses and their glass eyes. The sculptures stand in a striking state of in-between: Fortified for modernity and urbanity, the charm of a bygone age still lingers.
Bonfanti's work is eagerly sought by major collectors in America and the UK. He has work in several public and corporate collections in Canada, as well as in the Hirshhorn Museum, at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington.
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Balancing Act c857, 2023
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Rainbow Teddy c869, 2023
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Ground Forces Teddy c871, 2023
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Balancing act c881, 2023
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Captive (c876), 2023
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Cleaver (c875), 2023
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Dachshund (c879), 2023
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Dizzy (c880), 2023
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Pup concreature (c877), 2023
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Pup Concreature (c878), 2023
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Angel c874, 2023
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Captive Bunny c835, 2022
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Stabbed c828, 2022
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Koala Clampdown c849, 2022
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Clampdown Concreature c846, 2022
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Captive Concreature c850, 2022
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Rottweiler Concreature c852, 2022
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Communication Tower (c812), 2021
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Teddy c805, 2021
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Brace Teddy (c817), 2021
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Sword Swallower (c821), 2021
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Stabbed c784, 2019
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Status Structure c775, 2019
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Twinkle #1, 2019
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Twinkle #2, 2019
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Symbiotic, 2016
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Perched c611, 2016
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Teddy c607, 2016
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Droopy c621, 2016
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Horse c637, 2016
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Captive c778, 2019
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St Sebastian c774, 2019
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Stabbed c752, 2019
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Captives (c753),, 2019
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Adjustable (c757),, 2019
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Pink Elephant c788, 2019
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Penguin c676, 2017
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Penguin (c674), 2017
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Penguin c675, 2017
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Concrete
Ross Bonfanti 5 - 29 October 2016 LondonToronto-based Ross Bonfanti's sculptures subvert Pop disposability with personal pathos. Taking found soft toys, Bonfanti destabilises their initial cushioned appearance by re-imagining them in concrete, studding them with nails, nuts...Read more -
No Hard Feelings
Ross Bonfanti, NYC 15 April - 15 May 2016Canadian sculptor Ross Bonfanti uses concrete, hardware materials and found children’s toys to create sculptures that subvert Pop disposability with personal pathos. Redefining their sumptuous bodies and studding them with...Read more -
Under Pressure
Ross Bonfanti, NYC 16 July - 11 August 2014Rebecca Hossack Gallery is proud to present Under Pressure, a solo exhibition of new works by Ross Bonfanti, featuring sculptures that explore the pressures of adult life within the context...Read more -
Storytelling
Ross Bonfanti and Phil Shaw, NYC 15 December 2013 - 12 January 2014Rebecca Hossack Gallery is proud to present 'Storytelling,' an exhibition featuring works by Ross Bonfanti and Phil Shaw. In place of a formal opening, Rebecca Hossack Gallery is partnering up...Read more -
Circus Dwellers
Ross Bonfanti, NYC 7 - 30 June 2013In this new series, celebrated artist Ross Bonfanti extends the playfulness of hisConcreature sculptures, a series of cement sculptures derived from well- worn and discarded toys. Mined from local thrift...Read more
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Art Collection + Design Taiwan
Design Taiwan, 1 April 2013 -
Art at the Ice Garden
Time Out, 2 August 2013 -
Million-dollar Deals at the Ritzy Art Toronto Pre-sale
Toronto Life, 25 October 2013 -
CBC News Toronto Featuring Ross Bonfanti
CBC News, Toronto, 26 October 2013 -
David Farrer's Scale And Silver 25th Anniversary Exhibition
One Stop Arts, 8 December 2013 -
Inside Ross Bonfanti’s Land of Misfit Toys
Art Zealous, 3 October 2016 -
Hard and Cuddly With Ross Bonfanti
Style No Chaser, 29 April 2017