Soldiers Hill’s latest is A Dog’s Breakfast

CURRENTLY showing at the Old Butchers Shop Gallery in Soldiers Hill, regional multi-medium artist Geoff Bonney has assembled an assortment of works for his new exhibit, A Dog’s Breakfast.

Consisting of sculptures, paintings and drawings produced throughout his career from 1988 up until this year, Bonney said the exhibition centre’s around imagery and metaphors related to canines.

“This exhibition includes pieces done over a long period of time, these little drawings were drawn in Morroco in 1988 and I did a whole series of dog paintings,” he said.

“I was surprised and excited to find that the image of the dog has been very present in my work over many years… maybe it’s a self-portrait, or a metaphor for the human condition.

“These kinds of dogs are a bit of a metaphor for the human condition, dogs when you let them out on the street and they have to live on their wits are very similar to human beings in that condition.”

Showcasing eclectic pieces that had fallen through the cracks and never been displayed publically before, Bonney said the exhibition is made of pieces found in his studio located near Lake Learmonth.

“When I put this show together, most of my work is still up in Sydney because it got stuck up there and I didn’t have a lot to show,” he said.

“On my studio door as you go into it, it says A Dog’s Breakfast, because it’s all over the place, so that’s where the name came from.”

“I like to incorporate found objects where I can in a lot of my pieces, like a stool, a typewriter and even a nutcracker.

“For the new sculptural pieces, I’ve just used bits and pieces around my studio.”

As the first artist to showcase a solo show at the Old Butchers Shop Gallery, Bonney said he’s grateful to the organisers for the opportunity, and visitors who have been enjoying the exhibit.

“I try to incorporate a bit of humour into my work, but other times people think they are serious,” he said.

“The work is more challenging than a pretty picture, they’re not still lives of flowers, but they’re challenging and interesting.

“I’m very pleased to be a part of some of the first shows in Ballarat since the pandemic and it’s really lovely that people can ride or walk past here and have a look in.”

Open until 31 January, the show can be viewed either through windows night and day or on the weekends between 12pm and 4pm at the Old Butchers Shop Gallery, 112 Seymour Street, Soldiers Hill.