Cosima von Bonin  Ein Löwe im Bonsaiwald

Cosima von Bonin had never had a solo exhibition in our new space in the Ufa Palace, so she was planning a large project: a large wheat field that was to grow in the gallery. These things would have been necessary: ​​thick plastic tarpaulins, a heap of earth, wheat seeds and irrigation. After a few discussions it became clear that this idea was not feasible. The risk that wetness would drip down to the floor below and that the wheat would probably not grow in the autumn called for a new approach. A stage-like installation represented the desired things. The room became a container for individual events. The lion in the bonsai forest was coming! The wheat field consisted of dried ears, which were attached to tightly perforated tension wood segments. Next to it were the boxes in which the ears of corn were delivered. The whole thing had the character of a harvest time at Galerie Christian Nagel. There were some elements in the installation that made one think of the untidy yard of a sloppy farmer. As is so often the case in art, it initially looked like rubbish and tohuwabohu and on closer inspection the subtleties and highlights emerged. A rocking chair, enclosed behind a wooden crate, various partition walls with a flag showing scissors, a large frog photo on the wall, a blue tent made of perforated fabric, a pumpkin framed by a stick construction are just a few highlights of this ensemble. And finally new elements that would later have a massive impact on Bonin's art, namely soft toys: two ravens and a Mike Kelley-like bear. We managed to sell half of the ensemble.