Lisa Bonner is a multi-disciplinary artist from Glasgow. She is a recent BA (Hons) Contemporary Art Practice graduate from City of Glasgow College, and was also an intern here at Six Foot Gallery – we’re very proud to be exhibiting her work! Working mainly with painting, sculpture, light/shadow projections, printmaking and digital arts, Lisa’s works touch on themes of consumerism, over-consumption, technology, colour theory, perception, and experimentation.

Seesaw is an exhibition of works by artists Coleen McGinley, Chloe Hamill and Lisa Bonner exploring the playful and fun nature of the artistic process. Each artist’s work explores differing themes and ideas whilst all sharing the same belief that the process of making should be experimental and playful. Coleen, Chloe, and Lisa strive to find the joy in developing artworks, and understand that through experimenting, unexpected things can happen that turn out better than you could imagine. All three artists share a love for painting and how it can be used to explore their interests and push their practices.

Hi Lisa! How did you arrive at the theme of your exhibition?
I have been continuing from my studies to look at our over-reliance on technology, how it has and continues to change the way we interact with each other and our environments. Particularly, how we perceive our different realities through constant exposure to the digital world.

How has your practice changed over time?
I think through focusing on experimenting in this project and not being too careful with thinking about what I’m creating I have become more free in the choices of materials and ways in which I use them. I feel that through this, the abstract element within my practice has grown from not just what I’m inspired by visually (tech screens, luminous colours etc.) but also it has grown my imagination of what these made realities we create when we get consumed by using technology for too long; where does your mind go after those 2 minutes on social media that suddenly turns to 2 hours later?

 Which artists inspire you? Are there non-artistic influences such as literature or music that impact your work?
The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another by Ainissa Ramirez was one book I began to read during my studies that helped to form my ideas and interests in technologies and how they affect us. This book looks at the history of technological inventions and how their consequences of coming to formation have affected people throughout time up to now and beyond. It’s a great book, I highly recommend it to even dip in and out of.

Can you elaborate on the significance or symbolism of the chosen title of your exhibition?
Collectively, we chose the name SeeSaw as we were bouncing ideas off of one another, trying to find a commonality in all our works. Each of us loves painting, exploring and being playful with our materials. This childlike, joyful experimentation, the ups and downs of the unknown in the artistic process, just like a seesaw.

How do you know when a piece is complete?
It is difficult to not overwork a piece and to know when it’s finished. Personally, it becomes more instinctual and intuitive the more I create. It becomes more of a feeling rather than looking at the physicality of the piece. I think to know when something is complete, you have to be completely open to making mistakes, the possibility of ruining what you’re creating at any moment, which can be equally fun and infuriating at the same time.

SeeSaw runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 5th April. See more of Chloe’s work on Instagram @lisabonner_art