Cosima von Bonin: Ocean and Caffeine

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.

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 at first glance, the exhibition might look like an amusement park, von Bonin’s works oscillate between humor and darkness, playfulness and urgency, fantasy and a 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 an 11-meter long boat dressed in an impressive, tailor-made fabric dress. The work was produced especially for Magasin III’s 2001 exhibition Free Port. SEASONS IN THE ABYSS (2006) features an 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 from 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 from 2018), continued the artist’s exploration of marine motifs, with dressed up mackerels and a surfing board from the 70's.

"Ocean and Caffeine is a wonderful and unusual opportunity for local and international audience to view almost 20 years in an amazing artist body of work and creation. It is also both von Bonin’s first exhibition in Israel and the first time that Magasin III Jaffa is showing works from our comprehensive museum collection,” says Karmit Galili.

About Magasin III Jaffa
In January 2018 Magasin III opened a permanent satellite space in Jaffa, greater Tel Aviv. The space is located on 34 Olei Zion, in a residential neighborhood that borders with Jaffa’s famous flea market at the center of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations of Jaffa. Magasin III Jaffa’s diverse program will feature both local and international artists.

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