On Wednesday 24 May 2023, from 6 pm to 9 pm, the solo exhibition Si vis pacem by Carlo Bonfà opens at Galleria Studio Cenacchi in Via Santo Stefano 63, Bologna.

Less than a year after the artist’s passing, the exhibition offers a concise yet meaningful insight into his artistic practice, focusing on a specific cycle of works. The title recalls the Latin phrase Si vis pacem, para bellum by Publius Vegetius Renatus. The works on display revolve largely around the theme of war.

Through irony, Bonfà presents series such as Mine antiuomo, Carri armati and Combattenti, exposing the senselessness of conflict by transforming instruments of death into “games,” subverting the very meaning of their titles.

As Sandro Orlandi Stagl (ARTantide Gallery) wrote:

“Carlo Bonfà addresses the theme of war by creating objects that resemble weapons, yet are not meant to offend or instruct in military practice. His strategies aim first at improving our relationship with ourselves, and then with the surrounding reality, prompting reflection on how harmful and absurd certain theories devised to resolve conflicts can be. […] Bonfà’s toy-weapons, denied their functionality, are not charged with Dadaist symbolism nor Futurist energy; rather, they act as simulacra. Their appealing forms and vivid colours attract the viewer, misleading them about the actual danger of what they represent. Their pleasantness strips them of aggression, removing their association with harm. In this way, he succeeds in expressing beauty where there is horror.”

Biography
Pegognaga (Mantua), 1944 – Mantua, 2022.
Bonfà joined the Movimento Arte Etica in 2016 and published his personal ethical manifesto titled StrAtego.

In the 1950s he moved with his family to Verona, where he studied art.
In 1968, Galleria Ferrari held his first solo exhibition, with a critical text by Tommaso Trini. During these years, he exhibited frequently at the same gallery and took part in major exhibitions such as Campo urbano (Como), Art Terminal at Toselli (Milan, 1969), and Gennaio 70 (Bologna, 1970), alongside several solo shows.

In the early 1980s, he was included by Renato Barilli and Francesca Alinovi in the group Nuovi-Nuovi.

Carlo Bonfà
Si vis pacem
Curated by Jacopo Cenacchi
18 May > 15 June 2023
OPENING 24 MAY 6 pm

Special opening:
Saturday 27 e Sunday 28 May 10 am – 7 pm
Closed on Saturday 3 June

GALLERIA STUDIO CENACCHI
Via Santo Stefano 63
40125 Bologna

OPENING HOURS
Tuesday–Saturday: 4.30–7.30 pm
Monday: by appointment
Sunday: closed