The young South African contemporary artist Bianca Bondi intrigues us with strange installations whose presence quite often reveals an absence, or absences. As if beings had once inhabited the premises but are no longer to be seen. Might they be ghosts? Spirits? These highly seductive works are often presented in landmark venues of the art world. Bondi cultivates mystery and uses various materials and objects that she picks up while travelling. Her meticulous work is permeated with an authenticity rarely encountered in contemporary productions. She stands out for the sincerity and originality of her art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bondi explains her relationship with magic in a few words: \u201cAs soon as magic(k) thought is put into action it automatically becomes black. White magic is writing about magic, black magic is willing intentions and setting energies into motion. The important aspect to bear in mind when dealing with practising magick is the Rule of Three (the Three Fold Law). The manifestations you put out into the world, eventually come back to you threefold\u2026 I don\u2019t remember how exactly it started but the first time I practised I was under ten years old and I\u2019d be outside lying on the grass by the pool warming up, I would imagine my body double separate from my physical form..\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the occult\u200a\u2014\u200athat word and the ideas it embodies\u200a\u2014\u200aoften scares people, especially in Western society, which tends to want to rationalize, to explain everything. Yet, so many things remain mysterious, even impossible to grasp by the mind alone. It is in this respect that the mystical in Bondi\u2019s work resonates most fully, assumes its greatest significance. Dreams are not just the poetic counterpart to physical reality: they are very real and carry within themselves a power of divination that should not be repressed\u200a\u2014\u200aon the contrary. Bondi understands this and she imbues her installations with all this suggestive and productive power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated from the French by Ron D. Ross<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\n

<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bianca Bondi<\/strong>
The Faint House of Yes<\/em>, exhibition views, Le Voyage \u00e0 Nantes<\/em>, 2021.
Photos : Martin Argyroglo, courtesy of the artist, Le Voyage \u00e0 Nantes & Mor Charpentier, Paris<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n