Artist-in-Residence Talk: Leenda Bonilla Presents "Tostones: Urban Folkloric"

When:

September 30, 2015 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

2015-09-30T19:30:00-04:00

2015-09-30T21:00:00-04:00

arte boricua boricua folk art latino arts leenda bonilla nalac puerto rican tostones

AS220 is proud to present “TOSTONES: URBAN FOLKLORIC”, an installation by Artist-in-Residence Leenda Bonilla, from Bronx, NY. Representing a survey that spans the 5 years of Bonilla’s interdisciplinary practice, this mixed media installation explores the dynamic and ever-changing identity of Puerto Rican culture. The work on view is a series of composite portraits depicting Puerto Rican people from all walks of life and their likeness to a Toston (fried green plantain): “when made by hand, no two are alike in color, shape, texture or form”. As an artist, Bonilla interweaves sculpture, language, photography, video and performance in her body of work.

September 29th & 30th // Installation Hours: 6 PM -9 PM

September 30th // Performance & Artist Talk: 7:30 PM

Please join us on Sept 30th for a talk and Q and A with AS220’s Artist in Residence for September Leenda Bonilla. This talk will be about the artist’s current show (on view Sept 20 and 30th, 6pm-9pm), a survey that spans the 5 years of Bonilla’s interdisciplinary practice. The exhibition TOSTONES: URBAN FOLKLORIC is an exploration of the dynamic and ever-changing identity of Puerto Rican culture. Her work explores the aesthetics of documenting the unique lives of Puerto Rican individuals from all walks of life. The main body of work on view is a series of composite portraits depicting individuals who common tie is being Puerto Rican and their likeness to a Tostone (fried green plantain) …that when made by hand, no two are alike in color, shape, texture and form. Throughout her work, she interweaves sculpture, language, photography, video and performance, blurring the boundaries between documented reality and staged theatricality.

As220’s Artist talk and Q+A will focus on notions of cultural hybridity and duel identity. How can art in general, and installation art in particular, help us find new ways of deconstructing notions of bi-cultural identity that are fruitful and reflect upon a historical legacy of Latina matriarchal strength and multiplicity? Please join us for this wonderful Q+A to find out!

At AS220’s Black Box Theater, 115 Empire St., Providence, RI

***Free Admission // Facebook Invite

Leenda Bonilla, AS220 Artist-in-Residence, Sept 2015

LEENDA BONILLA is an interdisciplinary-based artist. She received a Masters from the Pratt Institute. Most recently she was a part of the Armory Show’s exhibition Bronx Speaks: Making Place reflecting on the community’s shifting identity from gentrification and the city presented by Bronx Arts Alliance at The Bronx Museum of the Arts. In 2014, as an artist member of Pepatían she presented her social practice project MainLAND_MIX, a community art performance at the New Museum for the “Draftmen’s Congress” celebrating the story of diversity in NYC with collages of drawings and paintings executed by community members from all walks of life but with the common tie of immigration and migration. Bonilla has exhibited at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Art in Odd Places, Taller Boricua, Longwood Art Gallery. www.leendabonilla.com

Artist-in-Residence Talk: Leenda Bonilla Presents “Tostones: Urban Folkloric”