Cosima von Bonin - Songs for Gay Dogs

Populated by animals and cartoon characters, Songs for Gay Dogs is a monographic exhibition by German artist Cosima von Bonin (1962, Mombasa) that highlights her most recent creations. The exhibition presents works produced over the past ten years, alongside new commissions and some well-known works. It unfolds in a series of staged scenes involving familiar characters pulled from the world of animation, comic strips or from under the sea. Cult figures such as Daffy Duck and Bambi take part in the exhibition, alongside fish, whales, scallops, rabbits, sharks and pigs.

Cosima von Bonin has established herself as a singular figure in contemporary art by way of infusing sharp and humorous perspectives on our society. Her textile, sculptural and multimedia installations subvert pop culture icons and luxury industry emblems, staging stuffed animals and everyday objects that uncover the absurdity of power relations and mass consumption. Coming of age in the vibrant art scene of Cologne in the 1990s, Cosima von Bonin drew from the irreverent spirit of that time and established long-lasting artistic collaborations. Her interest in experimental electronic music sparked at the same time and manifests itself in the exhibition through soundscapes composed by Moritz von Oswald (1962, Hamburg).

The artist appropriates words, patterns and ideas from a wide range of sources, such as brands, TV shows, cartoons, fashion, art history and pop music. She plays with our expectations and enjoys deceiving them. Colourful and seductive, her recent works use and misuse symbols of entertainment and marketing codes that govern our daily lives, prompting us to reflect on the ideologies that underpin them.

Comparing museum galleries to the aisles of a supermarket, Cosima von Bonin fills them with works that seem to come alive and gain a certain autonomy. Her characters are often caught mid-action or, on the contrary, completely idle. She gives them anthropomorphic features that make them look strangely familiar, inviting viewers to reflect on existential questions that remain unanswered. Setting the pace of the exhibition, these scenes are reminiscent of our human interactions, rituals, games and symbols. All are deft metaphors for life in society.