Serena Bonson

Biography

Born in Miwirnbi, Serena Bonson lives and works in Manigrida community in the Northern Territory. Her heritage is of Djowinge moiety, the Djinang language group and she is part of the Murrungun clan. Bonson has quickly become known for her striking carvings in stringybark painted in black and white to depict the Wangarra spirits. The Wangarra play a key role in the stories of Bonson’s community relating to death, birth and the transition of the spirit into the afterlife, and in rebirth. They are considered indicative of ancestral beings and deeply connected to the waterholes that are central to the stories of the clan and their connections to land.

Languages

Djinang

Community

Maningrida

Date of birth

1980-01-23

Clan

Murrungun

Artwork themes

Artworks


Past Exhibitions

Solo

  • 2015
    Wangarra, ALASKA Projects, Sydney, NSW

Group

  • 2023
    Delek & Kunyirrke (White Clay & Charcoal), Agency Projects, Collingwood, VIC
  • 2022
    Infinities, Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
  • 2022
    2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art 'Free/State', Art Gallery of South Australia
  • 2020
    Infinities, Goulburn Regional Gallery, Goulburn, NSW
  • 2020
    Maningrida Arts & Culture, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
  • 2020
    RESILIENCE: The power of the past today - Maningrida, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Fine Art, Brussels, BELGUIM
  • 2019
    Tarnanthi Art Fair, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide
  • 2019
    Tarnanthi Art Fair 2019, AGSA
  • 2018
    From Coast to Escarpment: Spirit Worlds of Maningrida, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
  • 2014
    Four Spirits from Maningrida, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD

Collections

  • Artbank, Sydney, Australia