Published 11 November 2024 in News
This month, we are pleased to have Dr. Christianna Bonin stepping into the spotlight to curate our monthly Art Picks from Afriart Gallery’s catalogues!
Dr. Christianna Bonin is an art educator, writer, and curator. She has nearly two decades of experience working with and advising art and academic institutions, artists, and galleries.
Her scholarship focuses on visual art practices from the mid nineteenth century to the present, in particular interactions between Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. Her current projects revolve around cultural politics between the Soviet Union and newly independent nations in Africa and the Middle East after World War II. She is completing her first book, Soviet Orient: Art and Empire in Central Asia, 1900-75. She holds a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, and currently is an Assistant Professor at The American University of Sharjah.
In the Kitchen, 1997
Egg Tempera and Gesso on Board, 34x24cm
"I’m often asked what makes a “good” work of art. Historically, much ink has been spilt responding to this question, but for me the answer is simple: art uniquely helps us experience the world in a more nuanced way. The best art helps us step outside of ourselves, even if temporarily, in order to more clearly reflect back on ourselves and our environments. Living in increasingly polarizing times, we need art and artists all the more." - Dr. Christianna Bonin
Day Dream, 2023
Charcoal and Pastel on Paper, 83x59cm
Afueni Mdogo Mdogo III (Small Small Relief), 2024
Oil on Canvas, 106x80cm
Picnic, 2024
Charcoal, Graphite, Watercolour and Cutouts on Paper, 140x115cm
Oasis Ponds, 2022
Paperbeads on Barkcloth, 161x152cm