Diego Bonetto Diego Bonetto Weedyconnection 2008 guided Tour <strong>of</strong> Steel Park, Canterbury, New South Wales Image courtesy and © the artist Photograph: Diego Bonetto 12
Diego Bonetto Born 1969, Pinerolo, Italy. Lives and Works Sydney, New South Wales The Terrariums represent the environment outside, without any added trick or intrusion. The project 5 Terrariums, 5 Tours and a World <strong>of</strong> facebook Friends is yet another intervention <strong>of</strong> mine, using technology, social media, games, mock-up documentaries, etc, aimed time and time again at problematising the simplistic attitude towards nature that feeds our environmental legislation today. I believe in befriending nature. 12 The interdisciplinary practice <strong>of</strong> multimedia artist and activist, Diego Bonetto, presents an alternative merger <strong>of</strong> ecological, economical and political imperatives in the move towards sustainable art practice. Through a deliberate veto <strong>of</strong> allegiance to any given media or material, Bonetto’s work has taken shape in many different forms, whether it be object-based, performative or experiential. His creative interventions <strong>of</strong>ten take place beyond the galleries walls, infiltrating a variety <strong>of</strong> unexpected social platforms and networks. His work to date covers the diverse fields <strong>of</strong> sculptural installation, internet projects, video and online performances, cooking classes, lectures and guided/audio tours. Often site-specific and project-driven, Bonetto utilises his chosen medium as a vehicle to communicate, educate and generate discussion. As an ardent collaborator, Bonetto is also a key member <strong>of</strong> artist group SquatSpace, the Network <strong>of</strong> UnCollectable <strong>Art</strong>ists, and founder <strong>of</strong> the internet-based Weedyconnection 13 project, just to name a few. Perhaps the most alluring attribute <strong>of</strong> Bonetto’s practice is his ability to re-sensitise his audiences to the overlooked and neglected elements <strong>of</strong> our natural surroundings, elevating their reputation amongst all living things and reinstating their value within the wider ecosystem. Of particular interest to the artist are the numerous and varied non-indigenous species <strong>of</strong> ‘spontaneous flora’, commonly referred to as ‘weeds’, which sustain a persistent presence in his work, both physically and metaphorically. Through his work, the artist explores the idea that weeds represent a human desire for control rather than co-existence, highlighting the inequality inherent within such beloved colonial ideals as the manicured ‘front lawn’. 14 In drawing attention to this concept as a social construct, Bonetto suggests that the threatening and invasive nature <strong>of</strong> weeds is a common misconception, and like many other living organisms, they have an origin and a traditional use, along with an equal right to existence, rather than the notion that weeds are “pests”. Bonetto’s work also puts forward a challenging social critique <strong>of</strong> the metaphorical link between these ‘unwanted’ species and current socio-political attitudes towards migration and cultural diversity. Diego Bonetto, 2010 Bonetto’s contribution to this exhibition is spread generously throughout and beyond the reaches <strong>of</strong> the gallery precinct. 5 terrariums, 5 tours and a world <strong>of</strong> Facebook friends (2010) is a new three-part work comprising five sculptural terrariums (or garden enclosures) containing local soil samples and the weeds that spring forth from them; five public walking tours through Sydney’s parks and gardens in search <strong>of</strong> naturally-sprouting weeds; and a Facebook campaign for networkers to ‘befriend’ various species <strong>of</strong> spontaneous flora. 15 Mimicking the mobile sprouting ability <strong>of</strong> weeds, Bonetto’s terrariums spring up and inhabit unexpected alcoves throughout the MCA’s level 3 galleries. Beyond the installation, however, Bonetto intends to highlight our increasing disenchantment with the real world, by re-acquainting audiences with the natural inhabitants <strong>of</strong> our local urban sprawl. He aims to disrupt the social networks <strong>of</strong> our virtual environments with the dissemination <strong>of</strong> information pertaining rather, to our natural environment. Diego Bonetto 5 terrariums, 5 tours and a world <strong>of</strong> Facebook friends 2010 (detail) terrariums, soil from 5 locations in the Sydney Basin, guided tours <strong>of</strong> the locations, Facebook pr<strong>of</strong>iles <strong>of</strong> the plants visited 5 Terrariums: 80 x 55 x 55 cm (each) Courtesy the artist Image courtesy and © the artist Photograph: Arnel Javíer Rodríguez 12 Email correspondence with the artist, 20 July, 2010 13 See www.squatspace.com and www.weedyconnection.com for more information 14 Josephine Skinner, ‘Weeds <strong>of</strong> thought: on Diego Bonetto and sustainability’, 2009, unpublished, np. 15 Rachel Kent, ‘Diego Bonetto: weedy connections’, In the Balance: <strong>Art</strong> for a Changing World, <strong>Museum</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Contemporary</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, Sydney, 2010, p.34 13
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