Maria Bonomi: Printmaking Forever

The thirty-second Biennial edition sets a transgressive moment for its biennial starting point, aiming to radically transform – not only the content of the event, but also its structure. This is already suggested by its title Birth as Criterion, which alludes to the poem of modernist twentieth century poet Jure Detela – a poem that provided the surge for self-reflection, which the Biennial has subjected itself to. Or in other words, even when the 32nd Biennial of Graphic Arts rejects the framework of a thematic exhibition, it stems from a poem. Yet, this is such that it resists to provide a leading theme to the exhibition, but calls for a break with its radical questioning of all polarity. The break introduced by Jure Detela's poem resonates in the rhizomatic structure of this year's Biennial, which – without the central figure of the curator – instead functions as an entity that produces its own self. By leaving its comfort zone, whether in terms of biennial tradition or established protocols of conceiving contemporary art exhibitions, Birth as Criterion foregrounds a diversity of relationships – a multiplicity that does not possess a single common concept, but instead exists as a continuous flow of meaning, offering a multitude of potential connections and interactions among the artworks.

Maria Bonomi: Printmaking Forever

There is nothing excessive or mundane in printmaking. It is an art form designed for the "brains of the soul", as Maria Bonomi, the most vocal advocate of the power of contemporary graphic arts, says.  She is one of the most important representatives of Brazilian contemporary art and culture as well as an internationally renowned artist and she already participated in the Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts on several occasions.

Her work is, regardless of its content, deeply personal and always optimistic, filled with enthusiasm, curiosity and joy for life. Her prints are expressive, yet defined by fragility and apparent simplicity. The art language of Mara Bonomi is one of woodcuts, with an emphasis on special treatment of the three-dimensional matrix, although she also employs lithography, serigraphy and digital image manipulation. She is an advocate of communicative and collaborative art and her prints articulate intelligence and sensibility.