The exhibition titled A Dog's Breakfast opened at the Old Butcher's Shop Gallery on Saturday.

Bonney is showing sculptures, paintings and drawings produced over decades, as far back as 1988 and as recent as 2020.

"I tend to work in series and some pieces just don't fit or the ideas and images don't appear to belong," he said.

"These works generally sit in the studio gathering dust."

Bonney said in looking back through his collection of work he was surprised to find many pieces featuring the image of the dog.

He said he used the image of the wild dog as a metaphor for the human condition and as a self-portrait.

"I went through the work in my studio and it hadn't occurred to me at all," he said.

"It was quite amazing so many referred to dogs. It is a new way of looking at my work."

The exhibition opened with an outdoor event on Saturday night, with limits on the number of people in the gallery due to pandemic restrictions.

Bonney said it was terrific to be able to open an exhibition again, as he was unable to travel to the opening of his exhibition in Sydney last May due to restrictions.

The show will run until January 31 and can be seen through the windows night and day or open for viewing inside on weekends from 12pm to 4pm.

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"The earliest works in this exhibition were made in Morocco in 1988, some as late as 2020 and some don't relate to dogs at all," Bonney said.

"It's a real dog's breakfast."

Bonney said it was 'wonderful' to be able to show his art as Ballarat had been 'starved' of exhibitions during the pandemic.

He said the Old Butcher's Shop was an exciting independent space that could hold a surprising amount of art for a small space.

"Once the opening is over and I close up it is set up for a window look," he said.

"It is a lovely space for people to walk past or go for a ride and have a look at."

The Old Butcher's Shop is at 112 Seymour Street Soldiers Hill.

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