This Artist Makes a Snippy Statement - New Times By Andrew Kiraly January 7, 1993 Anthony Bondi is a cutting edge artist in more ways than one. On one hand, it's his tools. With an everyday pair of scissors, some glue and a hearty dash of artistic vision, the Vegas-born-and-bred artist snips and splices to come up with some eye-catching collages that have more than a hint of the surreal. In a Bondi piece, you might find Strip casinos poking through the waterways of Venice, or machine cogs chewing up a giant daffodil. His work was selected for display at the recent Huntridge Theatre Local Music Blitz. Why? Perhaps it's because he's on the cutting edge in the figurative sense as well. The scissors and glue comprise the simple half of his tool chest. The other half is a Canon Color Laser Copier. "I go to Kinko's, they've got the software (and) the hardware. I step over to the counter, and I've got access to that (technology). It allows for a collage that you never could have made in the past." Bondi likes the fact that with this technology of image reproduction, "you've got access to every image ever printed, without destroying the original image." He pores through magazines and sifts through library books in search of images for his collages. Books and magazines, to Bondi, "are image banks," he says. "You go to the grocery store (to get) what you want for breakfast. You go to the library for what you want to chew up for food, for images." Whatever images he wishes to use in a collage, he "samples," or copies on the color copier. Then it's back to the scissors and glue again to turn the clutter into a collage. Ranking high among his favorite subjects is The Strip. While many eschew the Strip as a mere tacky runway for giddy tourists to throw their money away, Anthony Bondi embraces the around-the-clock glow of the Strip, which he sees as Las Vegas' earmark that residents should be proud of. "People go see cities because they are beautiful. As gambling becomes more the norm around the country and the world, there will remain a reason to visit Las Vegas," he says. "Because of its extraordinary visual splendor. The Strip is a collage from one end to the other." Anthony Bondi sees his work as a kind of celebration of the unique beauty of the Strip. And he wouldn't consider himself anything near a plagiarist merely stealing the work of others for his projects. He instead considers his sampling of other images a compliment to the original artist. "You've got to either change it considerably or enhance it. If you're gonna do that (sample another artist's image), you better do somethign good with it."
		All Content Copyright © 2005 Anthony Bondi All Rights Reserved This site designed and hosted by Monk Media