Create! Magazine is pleased to share the announcement of a recently launched collection by Olivia Bonilla at PxP Contemporary. See a preview of the 18 works exclusively available through the gallery during month of September below and visit PxP’s website for further information and details.
Olivia Bonilla is a painter and sculptor born in Vermont. She received her BFA in painting, with a minor in sculpture from Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. Bonilla continues to focus on unconventional materiality, an inventive approach to color theory within sculpture. Cement transforms into the soft and fluffy, resin to irresistible hard candy.
She expands her approach to sculpture through large installations, series of signature collections, and mixed media experimentation. Exhibiting venues include The Ely Center for Contemporary Art and Center for Creative workshops in New Haven CT, Vendue Art hotel, and 2019-2021 Affordable Art Fair in NYC. She has shown nationally from Fabrik Gallery, LA to dk Gallery, Atlanta as a guest artist. Bonilla has received a diverse credit in publications including Connecticut Magazine, House Beautiful, and Vogue Portugal for the May 2021 lifestyle issue, gourmet. Current gallery representation includes Miller Gallery in Charleston and Art and Light Gallery in Greenville, SC. She currently resides in Charleston, SC.
Artist Statement:
My work plays with confectionary pop art—A twist on personal nostalgia and indulgence. I make references to 80’s and 90’s nostalgia within toy culture, sweets, and color theory. Reflective of a world of overstimulation and re-appropriated ideas. My work is a metaphor for the never-ending cupcake in a “sugar-coated” existence. Using satire, I transform glutinous shiny landscapes into playful childhood pastimes. The metallic flake from “cars of an era”, to the iridescent shimmer of oversized diamonds topped with a wet gloss finish. My sculptures present a viscous materiality within the familiarity of cotton candy blue and bubble gum pink. An invitation for a closer look.
