Cosima von Bonin was born in 1962 in Mombasa, Kenya. She came of age in Cologne during the 1990s where she was part of the booming art scene, and she still lives and works in the city. Von Bonin is well-known for her sculptures and installations created from fabric and readymades that use comedy and pop culture to question social constructions and relations. 

In 2022, her installation on the façade of the Giardini’s Central Pavilion welcomed visitors to the Cecilia Alemani-organized exhibition The Milk of Dreams at the 59th Venice Biennale. She has also participated in Skulptur Projekte Münster (2017), Glasgow International (2016), and Documenta (2007). One-person exhibitions have taken place at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; CCS Bard, Annandale-on-Hudson; Oakville Galleries, Ontario, Canada; SculptureCenter, Long Island City, New York; mumok - Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneva; Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; and the Kunstverein Hamburg among others. Her work is included in including the de la Cruz Collection, Miami; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; mumok - Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam among others.