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humorously, on pollution, war, sex, energy, politics, and more. Using symbols such as letters from the
Romanized and Cyrillic alphabets, numbers, and drawing words from multiple languages (Hebrew, Italian, Serbian, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Latin, etc.) and the five styles used in this series, Testament Papers, is richly evocative of abstract art, expressionist painting, and symbolic representation. Taken as a whole, Testament Papers, is a workshop demonstration of an artist's consummate skill, intuition, passion, history, and infinite creative drive.
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The first paintings to gain
Bonifacho critical acclaim in Canada were the Blackboards series produced between 1978 and 1982. The series features racing greyhounds, targets, pop culture symbols (e.g. Marilyn Monroe) and/or American flags in sometimes unexpected juxtapositions. They are a commentary on
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Always fascinated with language, Bonifacho's painting titles from the earliest days feature word play. He also mischievously embeds words from various languages in his paintings, daring the viewer to find and make sense of them. His
Habitat Pixel series depicts computer viruses while referencing the
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Bonifacho's earliest work dating from 1959-1963 was the politically motivated and intensely emotional "Eyes over
Belgrade" series. He used roof tops and the exterior surfaces of buildings as massive canvases where he painted target-like pop designs critiquing war and the US and Russian space race
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An accomplished musician, Bonifacho fell in love with jazz in the 1950s and studied at the School for Jazz (Dept. Of Drums) which was operated by the
Belgrade Association of Jazz Musicians. After graduating, he was both leader and drummer for the Braca Bonfacije Dixie Quintet in Belgrade from
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Landscapes have played an important role in
Bonifacho's work as more than just reference points for geography; Alberta Landscapes, his first series after immigrating to Canada, not only played a locative role but was also a means of coming to grips with memories of war-ravaged landscapes and
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In what could be described as a 'tour de force', Bonifacho's 2013 series, Testament Papers, features five compositional styles integrating themes explored over several years. By constraining himself to a grid format and enclosing symbols, he freed himself to comment anew, both seriously and
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The city of
Vancouver (Canada), Bonifacho's adopted home, honoured him by hanging six images chosen from his Habitat Pixel series on city banners that were displayed along major thoroughfares and bridges in 2008. He joined the company of such internationally renowned local artists as
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Utilizing techniques and relying on skills culled from over 25 years of training and 55 years practice in the arts, Bonifacho works in the medium of oil which he applies to large squares and rectangles of prepared canvas. On occasion, he has also used
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while engendering ire in his neighbours. Even though
Yugoslavia had pulled out of the Warsaw Pact in 1948 and Belgrade was as artistically progressive as London (for example, noted New York-based performance and fellow Serbian-born artist
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for its tactility and luminosity. Periodically, Bonifacho has focused on qualities of geometry, surface, gesture, and sgraffito in metallic paints as a relief from working with prismatic colour. His work is represented by the
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The
Parallelograms series stands in sharp contrast as it is a meditative, minimalist series that is limited to gold and black while the greater body of Bonifacho's work is saturated with prismatic colour.
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432:
227:. The themes of war, nuclear holocausts, environmental devastation, and human vulnerability have dominated much of Bonifacho's work, as noted in an article by social activist and author
159:'s German occupation. He speaks Serbian, Russian, and English. Before settling in Vancouver, Canada in 1973 and becoming a Canadian citizen in 1976, he lived as a painter in France.
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139:) is a painter. He became a Canadian citizen in 1976 and now lives in Vancouver, Canada. Working from a discipline based in formalism, he is an
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Bonifacho: Retrospective: 1973 - 2013–40 years in
Vancouver. Self-published in collaboration with Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver & Toronto, 2012
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Bonifacho also references sexuality both overt and covert, in the context of global bio-degradation, nuclear devastation, and anti-war themes.
763:
672:
Stosic, Marija. "Hidden Messages: Bratsa Bonifacho’s Paintings from the Collection of the Belgrade City Museum", exhibition catalogue, 2018
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Johnson, Mia. "Testament Paper—Vancouver 2012 - 2013." Self-published in collaboration with Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver & Toronto, 2014.
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Petrovic, Dragana. "Vankuver zamirse na Srbijn: kadja pristavim sarmu (Vancouver smells like Serbia when I am cooking cabbage rolls.)"
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Completion of one year course. School for Jazz (operated by the Belgrade Association of Jazz Musician) – Department of Drums, 1959
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Cramp, Beverly. "BRATSA BONIFACHO, Inside Habitat Pixel, February 24 to April 7, 2012, Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam."
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who chooses between many elements including symbolist and figurative to express non-verbal thoughts and emotions abstractly.
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Currie, Rosemarie. "Combustion + Earth and Fire; Two series of works by Bonifacho; A retrospective catalogue." 2005: 8-9
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in his comments about Bonifacho's 25-year retrospective show at Belgrade's Progress Gallery (Galerija Progres) in 2000.
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Lindberg, Ted. "Combustion + Earth and Fire; Two series of works by Bonifacho; A retrospective catalogue." 2005: 7
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Richardson, Joan. "Bratsa Bonifacho: Al Campo Santo; review of exhibition at Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria",
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Tomak, Novo. "Mocnicima saljem poruke us virusim (To the mighty ones I'm sending messages with viruses)."
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Gedeon, Julie. "Bonifacho Artist Profile, The Power of Symbols", Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, Autumn 2016
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was a member of Bonifacho's social and artistic milieu), it was under the rule of president-for-life,
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Lindberg, Ted. "Landscape Paintings; Works on Canvas and Paper; A retrospective catalogue." 2005: 7-9
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Atelier Kruger (Old Master printing techniques), Frankfurt Germany, summer seminars, 1966-1968
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Jankovic, Nebojsa, Braca Bonifacije. "Havana moje mladosti (Havana of my youth)."
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Armstrong, John. "Abstractionist lays bloody, brutal memories on the bull's eye."
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Rosenberg, Ann. "Blackboards; and related works 1978-1992." Catalogue, 2006: 5-15
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Kovski, Tirpani. "Boja c krova na plantu (Colour of the roof is on the canvas)."
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Parenti, Christian. "Art in the enemy camp: Letter from Bohemian Belgrade."
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the "rat race, the arms race, and the space race," and human vulnerability.
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Parenti, "Art in the Enemy Camp; Letter from Bohemian Belgrade", p. 26
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Sumatovacka School of Art, Belgrade (Drawing and Painting), 1959–1960
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475:, Vancouver, BC, review of exhibition, Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver, BC
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Rosenberg, Ann. "La Habana and Peloponessus catalogue." 2007: 25-49
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Nikolic, Teodora. "Pun kofer avantura: Secanja Braca Bonifacija ."
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499:, Toronto, review of exhibition, Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby, BC
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Godley, Elizabeth. "Wood turns his eye to West Coast landscape."
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environmental devastation and yearnings for imagined landscapes.
347:"New banners mark 50th anniversary of celebrating local artists"
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632:
Flock, T. S. "Bratsa Bonifacho: SKALAMERIJA at Foster/White."
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in Seattle (US), and the Masters Gallery in Calgary (Canada).
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625:
Johnson, Mia. "Bratsa Bonifacho: Skalamerija and Messages,"
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Laurence, Robin. "Bratsa Bonifacho: Inside Habitat Pixel",
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Laurence, Robin. "Bratsa Bonifacho: Inside Habitat Pixel."
492:, Seattle, review of exhibition, Whatcom Museum, Bellingham
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Lassagne, Louise. "Bratso Bonifacho Ă la Heffel Gallery."
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Farr, Sheila. "Canadian art comes south of the border."
577:, Vancouver, review of exhibition, Richmond Art Gallery
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M. Dimitrijevic. "Hidden Messages" Bratsa Bonifacije,
759:
University of Belgrade Faculty of Architecture alumni
604:"Bratsa Bonifacho: paintings that play with language"
536:
Lindberg, Ted. "Parallelograms catalogue." 2005: 7-17
649:Cantor, Allyn. "Bratsa Bonifacho: Grazioso Sempre"
416:Lindberg, Ted. "Bratsa Bonifacho: Parallelograms."
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Lindberg, "Bratsa Bonifacho: Parallelograms", p. 28
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A painting by Bonifacho, Action at a Distance, 2019
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53:
28:
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295:Farr, "A war survivor's dark memories and visions"
395:Grace, Sherrill. "Bonifacho at Atelier Gallery."
402:Johnson, Mia. "Reflections of a jazz musician."
304:Johnson, "Reflections of a jazz musician", p. 23
523:Laurence, Robin. "Bonifacho's Habitat Pixel."
250:alphabet, typography, and the printing press.
201:University of Belgrade Faculty of Architecture
135:(Braca Bonifacije; born February 10, 1937, in
331:Rolfsen, "Colourful banners to light up city"
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471:Baillaut, Jeanne. "La Habana de Bonifacho,"
367:"A war survivor's dark memories and visions"
656:"Bonifacho, Cetrdeset Godina u Vankuveru",
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573:Rosenberg, Ann. "Richmond comes of age."
418:Artichoke; Writing about the Visual Arts
288:
172:in Toronto and Vancouver (Canada), the
546:Panic, Anita. "Po Krovovima Sveta ."
7:
560:Rosenberg, Ann. "Capturing motion."
520:, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, July 8, 2000
502:Jajic, Branka. "Crne table otpora."
433:"Colourful banners to light up city"
629:, Vancouver, September/October 2012
199:Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch)
779:21st-century Canadian male artists
774:20th-century Canadian male artists
669:, selection of images, Summer 2017
431:Rolfsen, Catherine (14 May 2008).
14:
602:Griffin, Kevin. (20 March 2012).
365:Farr, Sheila. (8 February 2008).
345:City of Vancouver (13 May 2008).
744:21st-century Canadian painters
734:20th-century Canadian painters
413:Vendredi, 28 Octobre 1988: 33.
349:. News release. Archived from
1:
769:Artists from British Columbia
392:Wednesday, Oct. 18, 1987: C5.
764:Yugoslav emigrants to Canada
192:Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
495:Johnson, Mia. "Bonifacho."
425:San Francisco Bay Guardian.
16:Canadian artist (born 1937)
795:
627:Preview: The Gallery Guide
427:September 6, 2000: 25-26.
399:February/March 1988: 40.
754:Artists from Vancouver
739:Canadian male painters
651:Preview Of Visual Arts
411:Le Soleil de Colombie.
194:University of Belgrade
141:abstract expressionist
129:
103:La Vila Arson Presente
749:Artists from Belgrade
584:, Belgrade, July 2007
557:, Belgrade, June 2000
518:Illustrovana Politika
473:Le Soleil de Colombie
151:Bonifacho grew up in
127:
47:Kingdom of Yugoslavia
702:Foster/White Gallery
644:The Georgia Straight
596:The Georgia Straight
525:The Georgia Straight
174:Foster/White Gallery
66:Belgrade University
667:The Oddville Press
420:9.3 (1997): 28-31.
406:June 24, 1982: 23.
390:The Vancouver Sun.
377:on 8 February 2013
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653:. Vancouver, 2014
634:Seattle Arts News
575:The Vancouver Sun
562:The Vancouver Sun
466:The Vancouver Sun
229:Christian Parenti
122:
121:
39:February 10, 1937
786:
692:personal website
690:Bratsa Bonifacho
622:
620:
619:
610:. Archived from
591:, Dec. 31, 2011.
504:Novine Zrenjanin
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439:. Archived from
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373:. Archived from
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221:Marina Abramović
214:Important themes
133:Bratsa Bonifacho
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23:Bratsa Bonifacho
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710:gallery website
708:Masters Gallery
704:gallery website
698:gallery website
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679:, Sep 12, 2018.
660:, Beograd, 2014
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564:, Vancouver, BC
527:, Vancouver, BC
468:, Vancouver, BC
461:
459:Further reading
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404:The West Ender.
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339:Bibliography
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157:World War II
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97:Brabancon La
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83:Notable work
724:1937 births
513:, Vancouver
506:, Zrenjanin
497:Artmagazine
203:, 1964–1967
196:, 1961–1964
180:1957–1960.
54:Nationality
718:Categories
618:2014-05-25
550:, Belgrade
543:, Belgrade
490:The Herald
482:, 1999 (?)
447:2009-10-12
381:2009-10-12
357:2009-10-13
278:References
260:Toni Onley
137:Yugoslavia
35:1937-02-10
397:Vanguard.
268:Bill Reid
184:Education
165:encaustic
62:Education
677:Politika
658:Politika
555:Licnosti
511:Kisobran
153:Belgrade
117:Abstract
113:Movement
57:Canadian
43:Belgrade
582:Novosti
548:Prestup
541:Glorija
155:during
91:4 x MCH
76:Painter
636:, 2012
266:, and
105:(2002)
99:(1992)
93:(1980)
283:Notes
29:Born
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