One of the key lines of inquiry in Elizabeth Bonaventura’s work, and her life, is how looking at things differently can change the way perceive things and so change the meaning of things and experiences in our lives. This panel discussion will explore Bonaventura’s work’s relationship to pop culture, to Childs-play, medieval monsters, fungible genre play, expanded notions of familiar structures, human and animal relationality, and our interdependence with context. Panelists will explore how alienation affects us and stymies our ability to build meaningful relationships and modalities for understanding across difference, themes Bonaventura explored with works dating from the 1990’s to work made during the early onset of her progression. Bonaventura was always adept at depicting without sentimentality which the panelists will discuss in relation to the absurd and abject humor deployed as a creative force against alienation.
Panelists include: Wells Chandler, Jennifer Macdonald, Carrie Moyer, Maia Pujara and Chris Wilcox.