Charmed: A Bonanza Retrospective
March 1 - June 2, 2019
Opening Reception: Friday March 1, 5–10pm
Charmed: A Bonanza Retrospective is the first in a series of exhibitions at BICA dedicated to remaking institutions into utilities that serve the public. This exhibition investigates the role of the museum in a community through a playful staging of a retrospective of work by the Oakland-based artist collective Bonanza. Lindsay Tully, Lana Williams, and Conrad Guevara will exhibit their brief but complex six-year collaborative art practice including sculpture and painting, multiple fashion lines, short films, stand-up comedy, and immersive installations. Alongside the exhibition, Bonanza will stage a runway fashion show in the garage as a celebration of ecstatic resistance and acceptance.
On the exhibition, Bonanza says:
“We are excited to take the long view of the last 6 years of Bonanza. It’s especially exciting to have this comprehensive exhibition opportunity in Buffalo with a new audience far removed from our Bay Area sensibility. The retrospective format offers the keys to unlocking our vibe which remains focused on abstraction and attire as a means for developing a porous understanding of identity and community. We are also super down to meet some new weirdos in Buffalo.”
Curators Emily Ebba Reynolds & Nando Alvarez-Perez:
"We're excited to bring Bonanza to Buffalo because of the city's legacy of abstract art and the way their work provides a future-facing expansion of the movement. They have a beautiful way of building connections between enclaves of interesting people through their own collaborative practice and participatory projects that we hope will leave a lasting impression on Buffalo."
In the spirit of meeting new weirdos, Bonanza and BICA are looking for 15 - 20 models to walk in the fashion show on May 18. Email emily@thebica.org to learn more.
About Bonanza:
Bonanza is the collaborative practice of Conrad Guevara, Lindsay Tully, and Lana Williams. Their work draws upon the artists' respective experiences as a filmmaker, sculptor, and painter and centers around issues of identity and authorship. Bonanza's diverse projects have included installation, film, and fashion. The artists regularly employ abstraction, performance, and humor, often using their projects as a platform for others. Bonanza’s work has been exhibited at Gallery 16, Minnesota Street Project, Interface, Southern Exposure and The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. Their work has been written about by VICE, SFAQ, Art Practical, KQED, and the East Bay Express. The artists have produced several films, including their first film, The Initiation, a horror film that satirizes the rise of big tech in San Francisco and The Drought which investigates the effects (real and imagined) of the water crisis. They were recent Artists in Residence at San Francisco Recology and are currently working on a new film about a uber service for dogs.
About the series:
What would it look like if an artist designed and operated municipal government? A hospital? Your bank? From our thousand square foot former automotive shop and garage at 324 Elmwood Avenue we are experimenting with methods of becoming, breaking, and remaking an institute. We will stage three exhibitions alongside interdisciplinary workshops and lectures, and invite various partners and communities to participate in events based around the artists’ works.
This exhibition is supported by:
