Bonifácio, Manuel

Portugal, 1947

Manuel Bonifácio left school when he was 8 years old due to difficulties he had in learning, however, his fondness for drawing and ceramics developed at an early age. Along the way, he joined the fire department as a young volunteer and acquired a great interest in motorcycles. In 2001, after his parents died, he emigrated to England with his sister and her family, settling down in Cobham, a village south of London. In 2009, he started attending the Artventure Trust centre, an organisation that promotes the creativity and artistic production of adults with learning disabilities. His drawings, normally very colourful, often depict fantastic-looking figures, creatures and animals, as well as military vehicles that can easily be related to his childhood dream of enlisting in the army.

Source: Centro de Arte Oliva