Dr. Ian Bonde confronts mortality through rust, crystal and funerary form at CMU
Vivera Mori takes its title from a stylisation of the Latin vivere est mori – to live is to die – and makes good on that premise across a body of work built from rusted metal disks, floor-standing sculptures and twelve new mixed media works on paper. The fourth in a series of related solo exhibitions by British artist Dr. Ian Bonde during his time as international guest lecturer at Chiang Mai University, the show is a reconfiguration of installation work first shown at Burapha University in 2025, extended here with new pieces completed during his CMU residency. The new 2D works pair funerary vessel forms with crystal imagery, developed through photomontage, vector graphics and UV inkjet printing before being overdrawn with carbon and white charcoal pencil on Fabriano paper. Crystals for their frozen, structured completeness; urns for their near-universal human role as containers of what remains. The floor works form a stand of tall elements behind the circular rusted wall disks, arranged in opposition.
September 1-15. CMU Faculty of Fine Art Gallery. 239 Huay Kaew Road, Suthep. Opening reception September 1, 5pm. Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm