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.
Artworks
Past Exhibitions
Solo
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2015 Wangarra, ALASKA Projects, Sydney, NSW
Group
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2023 Delek & Kunyirrke (White Clay & Charcoal), Agency Projects, Collingwood, VIC
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2022 Infinities, Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
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2022 2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art 'Free/State', Art Gallery of South Australia
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2020 Infinities, Goulburn Regional Gallery, Goulburn, NSW
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2020 Maningrida Arts & Culture, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
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2020 RESILIENCE: The power of the past today - Maningrida, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Fine Art, Brussels, BELGUIM
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2019 Tarnanthi Art Fair, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide
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2019 Tarnanthi Art Fair 2019, AGSA
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2018 From Coast to Escarpment: Spirit Worlds of Maningrida, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
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2014 Four Spirits from Maningrida, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
Collections
- Artbank, Sydney, Australia