ArtAttack is proud to present our latest ‘Artist of the Week’, Ashley Bonser. Artists of the week are selected by the ArtAttack team from the diverse and eclectic group of artist users on our app.
Ashley Bonser is a visual artist who currently lives and works in Western Australia. She is a multidisciplinary artist, creating works with illustration, collage and print media. Her practise focuses on creating collage works that showcase the human body, demonstrating the connectivity human beings have with one another. Her work aims to present her subjects as intertwined, to show our ability to empathise and connect with each other. Using found imagery from magazines, she interprets images of people into a singular form.
I had the chance to talk to Ashley about her career so far, and find out more about her artistic practise.
How did you become involved in creating art?
I guess I have always been creative, even as a child. I decided to complete my bachelors in fine art at Curtin University without having a clear artistic focus – I just knew I wanted to make art. It was through my time there that I fell into step with collage. My final year’s project revolved around shifting and manipulating human figures in a hands-on format.
In what ways does the human body inspire you?
The human body is a wonderful thing. Each person has a freckle or a bruise that nobody else has. They’re unique. That was, and still is, the driving force behind my decision to work with the human body. My works aim to bring these bodies together. It fascinates me how many people there are on earth, and how little of those people you actually meet in your lifetime.
You create works with illustration, collage and print media – how would you describe your artistic practise?
I aim to bring strangers together. I combine and intertwine them so that each body is apart of the other. I use found imagery as well. I feel that using images of people I know personally brings a new element to the art that I prefer to keep a mystery. I look at the images I lay out in front of me and try to decide the best people to bring together, based purely from what I can see. And since I use found imagery a lot in my art, you could probably say I’m a bit of a hoarder when it comes to magazines. I also illustrate my ideas before finalising the collages – once you cut up an image, there no going back.
What is the emerging art scene like in Western Australia?
Perth is the most isolated city in the world, which means a lot of our art influences come from within. There are so many creatives in the city. But Perth is expanding, and is embracing arts and culture more and more. In the last few years we’ve seen a magnificent explosion of artist run initiatives and cultural events that shows us that the community is embracing art. There’s never been a better time to be an artist in Western Australia.
How important do you think it is for artists to have an active online presence in our increasing social media driven age?
I think we need to accept that a part of being a successful artist in the modern era comes from having a social media platform to stand on. Social media has become such an influential part of daily life in
our society. I myself use social media, such as Instagram, to find new artists and influences for my work. Even galleries use Facebook as a way of promoting exhibitions and events. I feel that having a social media for yourself as an artist may not be vital, but it certainly helps emerging artists find their footing. You’re able to reach so many more people, locally and internationally.
Have you got any future projects / plans lined up?
I do actually. I’ve been working on a new body of work that has a strong focus on the female body. My Convoluted series was concerned with creating connections between unfamiliar people. My new works have shifted to bring the female body to light, and will concentrate on woman empowerment.
– Harry Dougall
To see more of Ashley’s work, visit her profile on ArtAttack App! GB link below or just search ‘ArtAttack – Share Sell Network’ on App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/artattack-share-sell-network/id1051315058?mt=8
For more information on the artist:
http://ashleybonser.weebly.com/
If you would like to be considered for ArtAttack’s ‘Artist of the Week,’ please email info@artattackapp.com to find out more about the submission process.
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