Portfolio

Anima Mundi (The Soul of the World) is a multimedia sculpture that explores "Magic" not as an illusion, but as an innate gift of perception—the profound capacity to recognize the shared spiritual energy that flows through every living being. Inspired by the original, often forgotten turquoise stripe of the 1978 Pride flag, the artwork stands as an invitation to reclaim our connection to the vital life force across all creation.

The canvas for this transformation is a black male mannequin bust, representing the rigid, artificial shells imposed by societal constructs. Breaking free from binary limitations of gender and species, the body becomes a fluid site of evolution. Through a visceral, hand-sculpted relief of textures—recreating the microscopic and macroscopic worlds of bacteria, algae, fungi, moss, reptile scales, and avian feathers—the piece celebrates the shared energetic lineage that connects humanity to the wider ecosystem.

Lacerated in the chest, the entity’s shell breaks open to reveal its core: a pure, radiant turquoise light. Framed by sharp fragments of mirrors and rhinestones that capture and refract the illumination, this fixed crystalline heart projects outward. It serves as a visual beacon, urging the viewer to pierce through external appearances and look at the world with the eyes of the soul.

Botanic Vanity is a series of mixed-media collages that explores the intersection of contemporary beauty, editorial glamour, and organic decay. By juxtaposing high-fashion imagery with raw, ephemeral elements—such as dried cabbage leaves, pressed flowers, and artisanal paper handmade from onion skins—the project reinterprets the classical art tradition of the Vanitas.

Through this playful yet profound dialogue between synthetic luxury and raw nature, commercial standards of perfection are subverted. The final works celebrate the texture of shifting time, transforming culinary by-products and discarded materials into a witty, tactile, and captivating visual commentary on transience and sustainability.

Title: A Quiet Nostalgia

A delicate, minimalist piece featuring a vintage black-and-white portrait resting on a bed of heavily textured, fibrous handmade paper. Geometric pops of warm yellow circles contrast beautifully with a single, fragile blue flower pressed onto the figure’s neck, evoking memory and fleeting time.

Title: The Queen of Spades [SOLD]

A surreal, regal portrait where a modern face is crowned by a sculptural, golden structure made of dried cabbage leaves. The inclusion of lobster claws holding a winning hand of playing cards adds a playful, sharp irony to the composition, questioning luck, power, and organic beauty.

Title: Eco-Glamour n. 5

High fashion meets organic decay. A defiant, editorial-style gaze behind bright green sunglasses is framed by a background of vibrant magenta and rough, handmade onion-skin paper. The "hat" is an intricate nest of dried leaves and pressed petals, subverting classic luxury aesthetics..

Title: The Chlorophyll Gaze

An intimate, close-up study focused on a single eye wearing bright green makeup. The face is half-veiled by a large, deeply veined dried cabbage leaf, while aggressive, energetic splashes of neon yellow acrylic ink mirror the complex patterns of plant life, blending skin and vegetation.

Title: The scent of time

A sharp, witty commentary on commercial beauty standards. A pair of hyper-realistic lips is placed directly onto a cracked, monumental sheet of dried cabbage leaf. Floating next to it against a background of bold pink stripes is a vintage perfume bottle, juxtaposing synthetic luxury with raw, biodegradable materials.

In my collaboration with the electronic duo MOOD, I explore the invisible boundary between sound and physical form. Through my project Sonic Paint, I do not just listen to sound frequencies; I use them as a brush to shape pigments and powders, turning them into physical fossils of frequency.

The process generated two distinct canvases, each with its own material identity, dictated by the unique energy and rhythm of the respective tracks.

Asteroid: The Cosmic Impact

The Sound: Characterized by a complex rhythmic structure, sharp kick drums, and percussive sub-bass frequencies.

The Visual Result: The energy of the rhythm "shattered" the waves, creating a dense, explosive core. The center is a cluster of metallic pigments and fluorescent powders, while salt crystals and turquoise glitter scatter outward, evoking a nebula or a field of cosmic debris.

Plants of the Gods: The Organic Growth

The Sound: Driven by deeper, highly ambient, and immersive sonic frequencies.

The Visual Result: In response to the continuous sub-frequencies, the chemical interaction produced a fluid and evolutionary outcome. The dominant green unfolds in microscopic, cellular patterns, with pigments clustering into organic islands that resemble moss or spores. This canvas captures the biological and regenerative side of sound.

Roots, Bubbles, and Constellations: My Journey Toward "Home"

"Constellation of Home"  is not just a representation of a physical space, but a map of my heart and my journey in search of belonging and authenticity. Ten years ago, I left my small town in Northern Italy to live my identity fully,  a choice that brought with it both freedom and nostalgia.

The bubbles floating in this painting are not simple spheres, but precious caskets that enclose and protect what I love most. Each one represents a piece of my story: my family in Italy, whom I see wrapped in a soap bubble, loved and protected; my friends, scattered across the world but always close in my heart; Lana and Rei, my faithful four-legged companions; and Francesco, with whom I have built a home wherever we have gone.

The Aquarius constellation, which serves as the backdrop for the bubbles, celebrates my queer identity and my desire for freedom and change. Finally, the large white star is a tribute to those who are no longer here, a light that continues to guide and inspire me.

I chose the form of a constellation because stars provide direction and remain a constant certainty, much like the values and roots I carry with me on every journey.

In this work, I wanted to give voice to my emotions and my need to create a safe and welcoming space, a refuge from the difficulties of the world. The bubbles represent the fragility and beauty of what we love, and the need to protect it. "Constellation of Home" is an invitation to reflect on what "home" truly means to each of us, and how we can build and nurture it every day.

Wound is a material and conceptual investigation into the intersections of body, food, and mental well-being. The work consists of a horizontally incised canvas, physically opened and restitched, revealing layered imagery embedded within the surface. The visible sutures and the tension between cut and repair function as structural elements rather than ornamentation.

The internal layers include collaged references to social judgment, laughter, and embodied experience. As a teenager, not fitting conventional standards of beauty, I often felt compelled to become “the funny one” — using humor as a strategy for acceptance. Over time, I came to understand the difference between making others laugh to be validated and laughing together from a place of balance. This shift informs the emotional core of the work.

Food, within this context, represents both comfort and conflict. It has been a space of negotiation between external expectations and internal well-being — between control and care. Rather than obscuring rupture, Wound foregrounds it, presenting repair as an ongoing condition rather than a resolved state.

Formally, textile techniques and compositional depth operate as visual language. Conceptually, the work reflects on how external perception shapes internal identity, and how acceptance can emerge not through erasure, but through acknowledging what remains visible. Wound stands at the intersection of personal research and a broader contemporary discourse on body politics, vulnerability, and resilience.

It’s born from a personal experience. It doesn't tell a linear story, but a layered one, made of scraps, protection, vulnerability, and transformation. The materials used - transparent plastic and fragments of eco-printed paper - come directly from the artist’s studio practice. They are not neutral. They carry experiments, mistakes, and repeated gestures.

Plastic protects. Paper is fragile. This is how the artist defines themselves: able to defend, yet deeply vulnerable. Simple, yet chaotic and complex.

Looking into the mirror, in this context, is an act of awareness, of honesty, and quiet courage. This is not a casual affirmation, but a declaration of existence. A moment when fragmentation finds form, and presence returns. Only when we truly see ourselves can we begin to see others truly.

When you look into a mirror, you become both spectator and protagonist. Here, the viewer enters the artwork, becoming part of the piece itself. Within the frame lives a beauty: a queer beauty. Not tidy. Not uniform. But honest, lived, and real.

This work invites a relationship: with yourself, with the artwork, with what is reflected back. There is no answer to solve, only an invitation to accept: “You are now part of the work. You are no longer just a visitor. You are visible. And I see you.”

This collage represents the first step of a deep and courageous journey. A young person stands before the canvas, not to paint an outward image, but to give shape to what they feel inside. The figure in the foreground is not someone else, but their own inner self — how they see and feel themselves in their most authentic and intimate world. With bravery, they trace this vision of themselves, a process of queer discovery and acceptance, in which they first recognize and represent themselves for their own sake, before anyone else’s.

The background, free of words, symbolizes liberation from social prejudices — a space of freedom and possibility where all limits dissolve. The spaceship becomes their sanctuary, a place where they can explore their identity without fear, following their truest truth.

The fluorescent, vibrant colors visually express the burning desire to boldly and proudly embrace their queer self — an invitation to shine authentically, even in a world that often struggles to accept diversity.

This collage tells the beginning of an inner journey, where art becomes an act of resistance and a celebration of identity.

This collage marks the second step in a journey: the in-between space where movement happens. The car becomes a metaphor for transition, not only of place, but of identity, perspective, and relationship. It’s a space where things are still being figured out, but never alone.

She points; he looks in the same direction. There is no driver, no passenger, just two human beings navigating side by side. This moment speaks of shared agency and mutual care, where support replaces control. In any queer journey, becoming is rarely solitary. Transitions are often made possible by those who see with you, who accept the shift without needing to define it.

The background tells another part of the story: Latin text, a symbol of an ancient, rigid worldview, stretches across the horizon. It represents the lingering presence of outdated beliefs, still shaping the world they look toward. But layered on top are vibrant, queer-colored stains, confronting the more muted tones of ecoprint, marks of societal tradition. These two energies meet on the surface: one fixed and inherited, the other fluid and self-chosen.

Still, the characters don’t turn back. They see what both the weight of the past and the promise of what’s possible, and choose to keep moving. Together.

This collage marks the third step in the journey. It is the moment when the imagined self begins to take shape.

The girl from the first image is no longer sketching who she might be; she is now part of the construction. Not becoming “a man” in a fixed sense, but becoming human, shaped by intention, reflection, and transformation.

This is not a building site for structures, but for selves. One figure is still at work, laying the foundations. Another gazes at the large parchment — not a blueprint, but a mirror — seeing in it the emerging form of their identity. Each person is in a different stage of becoming.

The Latin background, once rigid and imposing, is now veiled by a metallic layer: soft, reflective, transforming what lies beneath. The fluorescent queer colors no longer clash with the scene; they blend in, becoming part of the space itself. Queerness is no longer disruptive. It is integrated, alive, shaping the atmosphere.

"Building Humans" is not about reaching a fixed identity, but about honoring the ongoing process, constructing the self with freedom, pride, and care.

A collection of vintage collages paying homage to the delicate and fascinating microcosm of insects. Each piece begins on hand-treated paper using the eco printing technique, where leaves and flowers release natural pigments to create organic textures and a timeless atmosphere.

On these botanical surfaces, vintage insect illustrations, sourced from old encyclopedias, manuals, and advertisements, are carefully collaged by hand. Through this process, these tiny creatures are revived, becoming silent guardians of a world in constant transformation.

Each composition is then enhanced with hand-painted acrylics, including metallic accents, adding depth, light, and a touch of surrealism. The final result is a poetic balance between nature and artifice, science and imagination, where every insect tells a story of memory, metamorphosis, and rebirth.

Dimension: 21 x 18 2025

A vibrant collection of collages where vintage nostalgia meets bold, contemporary expression. Each piece is created on eco-printed paper, where natural pigments from leaves and flowers imprint delicate, organic patterns onto the surface. These botanical textures are then amplified with vivid fluorescent colors, creating a striking contrast between nature’s subtlety and the energy of pop tones.

At the heart of each work is a collage of vintage bottles, cut from 1950s advertisements, symbols of consumer culture, elegance, and mass communication. These bottles, once vessels of promises and desires, now carry new messages: reflections on time, memory, and transformation.

Finished with expressive, often playful, acrylic and fluorescent details, the pieces evoke a dreamlike dialogue between past and present.

Dimension: 21 x 18 2025

The Many Layers of Identity is a visual reflection on the fluidity of identity, the tension between what we reveal and what we conceal, and the role of masks in shaping our perception of ourselves and others. The figure portrayed has no defined gender identity—it is not a specific individual but a universal presence, a mirror in which anyone can see themselves. It is a face suspended between revelation and mystery, between past and present, between construction and deconstruction.

The original painting, salvaged from waste, has been transformed through a layering of materials and techniques. The paper mask applied to the face is a disruptive element: it covers, yet it highlights. Painted with vivid colors and gold details, it recalls the aesthetics of Carnival but goes beyond mere celebration to question the deeper meaning of disguise. The frame itself becomes part of the artwork, enriched with three-dimensional elements: dried leaves, flowers, intertwined branches, and small hidden objects. Each detail adds a layer to the narrative, a fragment of meaning for the audience to interpret.

Identity is never fixed but a continuous process of construction and transformation. The artwork evokes this fluidity—the subject could be anyone, could be everyone. The ambiguity of the face and the material stratification reflect the complexity of human existence, the multiplicity of experiences and perceptions that make us both unique and part of a collective whole.

Dimension: 50 x 60 2025

At the Tropikali Festival, I discovered a world of joy and effortless connections. I created live kawaii portraits, capturing the essence of people through vivid lines and colors. The mouths I drew brought each portrait to life, revealing genuine smiles and expressions that told unique stories. This made me question how much our surroundings influence our emotions and help us share them with others.

For the "Bulletin Board" exhibition, I produced a kawaii A4 drawing inspired by the diverse people I encountered at the Tropikali festival—both queer and non-queer. The artwork celebrates the beauty of human interaction, blending colors and expressions.

I believe that sharing emotions is key to understanding both others and ourselves. By reflecting on others' feelings, we find mirrors of our own experiences. "Emotional Sharing" offers a space for reflection and connection, inviting everyone to explore and express their emotions in an inclusive, welcoming environment.

Mixed Media: acrylics paint and markers on watercolor 3paper.

Size: 29 x 21 cm

Year: 2024

Exhibition: "Bulletin Boar Exhibition" for Queerhouse in TreehouseNDSM - Amsterdam

The background, in shades of black and off-white, symbolizes a society that often imposes a rigid and limited vision of what we should be. This uneven and opaque surface becomes a symbol of inner struggles, the emotional battles tied to accepting one's homosexuality.

Breaking through this uniform darkness, iridescent traces emerge, representing the queer side that fights to manifest itself and shine. The acrylic and watercolor paints create a contrast between the heaviness of the background and the brightness of the colors, emphasizing the conflict between what is hidden and what longs to emerge.

In "The Sparkle Within," the queer side finds its way through the shadows, illuminating the darkness with its beauty and uniqueness. It is a celebration of the power of self-acceptance, challenging the limits imposed from outside, and revealing the true light that resides within each of us.

Dimension: 20 x 30 2024

The idea was to combine the tactile quality of these materials with an intense and free use of color, capable of expressing a sense of chaos and vitality. The colors, applied deliberately in a disorderly way, reflect the fluidity and unpredictability of nature, evoking the complexity of human emotions.

My intention was to emphasize the ability of nature—especially the sky—to evoke profound emotions, and I wanted this to be reflected in the artwork. The colors blend and expand without rigid boundaries, just like clouds and light in the atmosphere, creating a sense of continuous movement. This is the fluidity I wanted to capture, to convey the same freedom and emotional intensity that I feel when observing the sky. Thus, the contrast between the physical structure of the natural elements and the dynamism of the colors aims to communicate the tension between order and disorder, between control and release.

Dimension: 20 x 30 2024

2014      Dimension 80x80
Watercolor on fabric

L’Urlo is a work created in 2014 and exhibited in Milan in the window of a handmade clothing store, bringing art out of institutional spaces and into the everyday flow of the city.
Painted in watercolor on fabric, the piece combines fragility and resistance: the soft surface absorbs the pigment, leaving irregular, vibrant traces, like an emotion that cannot be contained.

The work is an anthem to female freedom, a visual cry that breaks imposed silence and affirms the right to expression, self-determination, and presence. L’Urlo does not ask for permission: it emerges, exposes itself, and occupies space.
Displayed in a shop window, it engages in dialogue with the body, clothing, and the gaze of passersby, transforming a commercial space into a site of political and poetic affirmation.

Gabriele Bonomi

Crafting connections through sustainable artistic experiences.

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