CHELSEA BONHAM

WRITTEN BY MOLLY MAPSTONE

Combining meticulously detailed drawings with printed and sculptural elements, Chelsea Bonham’s work is inspired by her childhood experiences. Immediately identifiable objects such as scissors, household appliances, and clocks percolate to the surfaces of her drawings. However, it is clear that there is something cerebral bubbling up from below. Embedded within oftentimes boldly patterned domestic spaces are references to Bonham’s own trauma. As psychological landscapes, her works build toward a greater understanding of brain functions and memory writ large.

Blurring the boundary between reality and imagination, fantastical creatures zigzag throughout Bonham’s perplexing interior spaces. Staircases lead to nowhere while dryer lint ducts and sink hookups fail to attach to their logical connection points. Informed by her research on hospital equipment, in Bonham’s work grandfather clocks transform into beds and examination chairs are accompanied by various nondescript medical tools. With a style that carefully considers fine details, Bonham’s works are treasure troves of hidden meaning. Discarded children’s toys, loose teeth, and everyday objects like books, jars, and lamps form a vibrant matter of sensorial touchstones throughout her work. These surreal elements all cohere to contend with the delicate, and sometimes tenuous, nature of memory and the brain itself.

Bonham also folds her flat drawings into miniature threedimensional sculptures with mechanical elements. With found objects like a discarded dollhouse as the setting for these works, Bonham’s paper sculptures highlight the animating qualities of her drawings. Despite the enigmatic themes present in Bonham’s work, the world she constructs serves as an index of brain function. Through the quagmire of memory, Bonham reveals a method of meaning making that can originate from even the darkest spots in the mind

NOT YET TITLED

NOT YET TITLED (previous

TEMPORAL CONSTELLATIONS

(above)

Installation view.

Photo credit: Neighboring States

BIRD (left)

Pens, cut paper, linocut print, cigar shavings in cigar box.

11.5” x 7”.

Photo credit: Neighboring States