Geteilte Konvexstörung 1981

This work by Victor Bonato presents a disruption in symmetry; two semi-circular forms sit next to each other to create a larger circle. The surface is broken by two bands of wood, and a disruption in the center of the circle creates the illusion of another form entirely. I can imagine Bonato making this in his studio, testing out what happens if you take an ordered form, like a circle, and then you introduce some kind of interruption – a glitch, even. I see this shape and I think of other artists, like Lucio Fontana who sliced open the canvas to make a mark, or like the wood sculptures of Lee Bontecou which use gaps to create volume. Bonato’s composition makes me think about how painting, and art more generally, works through this process of trial and error, where artists take risks, and introduce new elements to push the medium. Bonato plays with geometry, and the way we experience symmetry. He's in conversation with the history of image making, and how images come to be.