Theresa Bruno
Theresa creates pieces of cultural significance that address important issues concerning class, the stereotypical view of poverty and what it means to be an artist relying on funding to continue her work. Theresa utilizes a variety of media that draw on the highly prestigious view of art on display in institutions and what the canon within the history of art education considers as ‘good/high art.’ Her approach to mixed media aims to subvert these assumptions by incorporating common, everyday objects that are more relatable to a larger population of the UK and implementing them into the context of art. Theresa’s journey as an artist can be traced back to her being selected to be the art prefect at her secondary school, and after a career break, has recently returned to her practice.
Theresa Bruno. Photo Courtesy: Gemma Thorpe, 2022.
Whilst recently restarting her art career, Theresa realised that she had a limited art historical reference throughout her degree studies back in 2010, which were dominated by male critics analysing male artists. She couldn't recognise herself or relate to anything, so she went on a search for her identity and what art meant to her. Theresa said that books rather than other artists are at the forefront of her research process as this dialogue resonates more with her as a practising artist. Learning about social issues such as class through Owen Jones’s book; Chavs, The Demonetization of the working class, Nathalie Olah’s book; Bad Taste, or Steal As Much As Your Can and finally Dave O’Brien, Mark Taylor, and Orian Brook’s book; Culture is Bad for you: The Inequality in the Culture and Creative Industries. The theories and confronting issues addressed within these books have influenced her work to challenge what the viewer assumes about high art and what we consider as “museum quality”. These themes can be seen in work like Benefitted below.
Theresa Bruno, Benefitted, 2023, Materials: Children’s coloured pencil drawing of the 2023 HMRC Child benefit form. 748 x 1003mm. Photo Courtesy: Andy Stag.
Theresa was born in London and grew up in a Polish immigrant family and community. During her teens, her family moved to Dorset, where she participated in BTEC diploma courses at the Arts University Bournemouth. During her time there, she began with no real understanding of what the art world was but said that these years were a fundamental point for her understanding of who she was and where her interest lay. The most formative year however was her following foundation at the Arts University Bournemouth where she started to take her creative output seriously. Later, Theresa seemed shocked at her university degree application being accepted at Wimbledon College of Arts after the first round and continued there for three years where she specialized in sculpture, which was unusual, as art courses at the time were under broad umbrella terms like fine art and not so specialised. Being in London became a catalyst for her understanding of art as Wimbledon provided opportunities to visit institutions like the TATE Modern, which she would have previously not have gone to as a child. As much as it was one of the best times, she needed extra support throughout her degree and her mental health plateaued which initiated her move back home with her mum in Dorset after her degree completion.
The pressure and financial strain of being a student in London was relieved in Dorset as she started working full-time, allowing her to fund her self-generated art practice. This led to a reconnection with a teacher from the Arts University Bournemouth and the start of an ambitious project called Space SIX, which opened up in Bournemouth, and included setting up shows and exhibitions. Theresa also continued to make work and maintain her London contacts by showing work there alongside running this project space and a full-time job. However, after a few years of this continuous planning, producing and organizing, her limits were reached and forced her to quit due to exhaustion in 2014 where she then went travelling and started working in marketing. Theresa found that the Covid Pandemic was the best thing for her as she was made redundant from her marketing job and decided to rekindle her art practice and created some pieces that create conversations about challenging conversations around class and what she found out from her research in the books mentioned above.
Theresa Bruno, Lockdown Drawing. 21 x 21 cm. Photo Courtesy: Theresa Bruno.
Addressing social issues and assumptions about the value of things can be seen in her most recent work called Benefitted. This meticulously hand-drawn piece brings forward stereotypical ideas of poverty and the supposed shame associated with asking for support from the government. The narratives about child poverty, social immobility and injustice are elevated in the use of Therese drawing this in children colouring pencils. As a teenager, Theresa often used to support her mother by filling forms out on her behalf. This is a common interaction that happens in immigrant families as caring roles need to switch, in order to support parents who aren’t fluent in the English language. Theresa speaks openly about the fact that she grew up on benefits and feels that this was an essential part of her upbringing. During the time that the labour government was in power in the early 2000s kids like her were more supported to go to university. During a recent crit, Theresa received feedback about her Benefited drawing, and how this type of benefit income was particularly historically prioritized for women. This was one of the forms of money that was directly going to mums and justified their labour and tiering jobs of beginning up their children alone. The laborious task of hand drawing the whole form took Theresa four months, replicating the lengthy process of going through all the forms, which can be analysed when standing in front of the drawing.
Theresa Bruno, Carrara Marble Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll, 2023. Carrara Marble craving, 110cm x 30cm x 30cm. Photo Courtesy: Andy Stag
Theresa’s reference to the History of Art and the imposed value on things is represented in her other recent work titled, Carrara Marble Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll. The highly regarded material of Carrara marble is contrasted with the assumed invaluable fast food and is further glorified by the museum-like plinth that mimics the display formats that can be seen within institutional Museums. Similar to this, the nine pieces of paper that made up Benefitted, were placed within a polished white frame showing how value can be added to something that would usually be seen as a worthless form that can be thrown away. These continuous contradictions of the glorification of art within institutions can also be seen in her work titled Bruno’s Musée Imaginaire which she produced just before her break in 2014.
Theresa Bruno, Musée Imaginaire, 2013. Curated & Classified 3D Printed Sculptures. Photo Courtesy: Theresa Bruno.
This installation piece was created in her co-founded project space in 2013 as she spent a month working and playing within the space to create this piece. Theresa mentioned that this was the first time that she had filled a space of this scale to its full extent, allowing vast conversations to be held throughout this time. The inspiration for Musée Imaginaire came from her extensive reading about museums and the traditional way of curating within an institutional setting, curating and collecting. Strong references towards the historiography of art are destabilised as she puts her name and identity within the piece, claiming her position as a prominent figure who is meant to be listened to. At first glance, the 3D sculptures seem like recognisable artefacts that are held in places like the British Museum. These include The Thinker, Head of a Horse, and the Nefertiti Bust. When looking closer, some sculptures can be recognised, but the originals are altered, for example, the Bunny of Willendorf or The Great Wall of Chana. Other objects are added to the vast collection that poses a variety of questions and a variety of ways that Theresa has addressed the idea of value once again.
Theresa Bruno, The Bunny of Willendorf, 2014. Photo Courtesy: Theresa Bruno.
Theresa Bruno, The Great Wall of Ghana, 2014. Photo Courtesy: Theresa Bruno.
Theresa Bruno, Doughnut, 2014. Photo Courtesy: Theresa Bruno.
Value can be seen through channels of institutional value, personal to the artist or with the sense of consumption leading the viewer to question who should be responsible in deciding what may or may not be of relevance in the history of art. Sculptures that are replicas of ancient objects or monuments are valued in how we consume tourism, which contrast to the 3D print of a doughnut that is a clear indication of everyday consumer behaviours. Theresa wanted to pose ideas on who the collector was, what it would show about the individual, but also how we live in a monocultural world where we as a society are told what is important and what isn’t. Her main argument for the piece was to question this societal homogenisation and ask the viewer to stand back from the powerful institutions with the implemented value, and to ask oneself of what is important to them. If she has created this collection that shows her identity, why shouldn’t it be important too?
Theresa Bruno, Miss Information, 2014. Photo Courtesy: Theresa Bruno.
The video piece in the middle called Miss Information, does exactly what the title insinuates. For the duration of the nearly thirteen minutes that this short film goes on for, the Venus of Willendorf (a highly respected and known image throughout the education of the history of art) starts communicating false information about the objects in a fractured robotic voice. This deliberate misinformation brings the viewer’s attention onto the ongoing disputes within institutions, the media and society where we are not being given the correct or full information leading to an overall distrust and not connected society. During the end of the video, Miss Information realised that she is becoming self reflective and can situate herself within her surroundings.
Theresa stated that she has been incredibly fortunate when creating her work as she has had to self-fund her practice and never felt the need to be creatively compromised as her work is not commission-based. She has just completed a two year residency here and continues to work in Sheffield producing works that address important sociological issues of class. Going forward, Theresa is looking on embarking in a new project with either Arts Council London, which allows for funding opportunities, or with DCYP (Developing your Creative Practice) funding.
Website: https://theresa-bruno.co.uk/
Instagram: @tee_bruno
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 - Gargantua - Yorkshire Art Space Persistance Works
2014 - WUNDERKAMMER - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Chromopedia - SIX project space, Bournemouth
Selected Group Exhibitions (and projects)
2024 - Held, Mimosa House Gallery, London, curated by Wingshan Smith
2023 -Autumn Almanac III @ Persistence Works, Yorkshire Art Space, curated by Sean Williams
2021 - When was the last time you saw the sea?, Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo, Japan
2021 - 12o collective - 30/30 2021
2014/15 - Art at TMF Group , TMF Group, Chancery Lane, London
2014 - Home is where the ART is, SIX, Bournemouth
2013 – Colour – collaborative drawing - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Synaesthesia - LUSH Cosmetics, Kings Road, London
2012 - Reframing Bournemouth, Bournemouth Arts Festival, Bournemouth
2012 – The Artist, Hatchspace, Deptford, London
2012 – Tryouts, Down Stairs, Great Brampton House, Hereford
2012 – The Apocralypse – It looked like a theatre – Punctuation Programme, Limoncello, London
2012 – AGORA – Brick Box, Tooting Market, London
2010 – Wimbledon Degree Show, WCA, London
2010 - Ishihara, Queen of Hoxton, London
2010 – Taking a line for a Walk, WCA, Curated by Soraya Rodriguez, London
2009 – Bare Art - Vyner Street Gallery, London
2008 - Ishihara, Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth
Residencies
2022-2023 - PLATFORM - Site Gallery, Sheffield, funded by Freelands Foundation
Curated projects
2015 - Jason Miller - New Paintings & Sculptures, The Lighthouse, Poole
2014 - Timothy Holt - Here, There, Duracell - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2014 - Joseph Johnston & Holly Buckle - Dressed for space - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2014 - Elizabeth Wright - White Dot - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2014 - Giorgio Sadotti - Sing to Remember - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2014 - Tom Daniel-Moon & Joseph Johnston - Seers Dirge - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2014 - Richard Sanz - Dont look at me - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Richard Paul - Sea of Green - (The Enunciation of Images) - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Adam Fenton - Fifteen Paintings from the Seascape Series - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Dominic Head - Verpixelt - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Hollow Earth Collective - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - FROUTE - Bevis Fenner - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - David Evans - The Art of Walking - a field guide - SIX project space, Bournemouth
2013 - Rebecca Kunzi – 'If I had a heart' – SIX project space, Bournemouth
2012 – The Artist - Hatchspace, Deptford, London
2011 – Wallet Gallery
Commissions & Prizes & Collectives
2013 - Joined Hollow Earth Collective, London
2012 – Mockism Commission – She Couldn’t Have Attended Anyway – Neue Froth Kunsthalle, Brighton
2011 – JWT Commission – Art Prize 2nd prize, JWT Office, Knightsbridge, London
2008 – Cannizaro House WCA Summer Commission, London
Ina Benigni
Emerging Artists Co-Editor, MADE IN BED