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Biography

Paul Stephen Benjamin was born in Chicago, IL and lives and works in Atlanta, GA. Recently Benjamin has exhibited at Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA (2023), Blackness at the Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakesh, Morocco, (2023), The Thoma Foundation Art Vault, Santa Fe, NM (2022/2023) and a solo exhibition at the Van Every/Smith Galleries, Davidson College, Davidson, NC (2022). He’s been included in solo and group exhibitions at a variety of institutions and art spaces, including Prospect.5 New Orleans, LA (2021/2022). Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2021), The Dirty South at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond VA (2021), David Lusk Gallery, Nashville, TN (2021), Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary, Bentonville, AR (2020), The MAC, Belfast, UK (2019), VCU Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond, VA (2019), The Havana Biennial in Matanzas, Cuba (2019), Marianne Boesky Gallery, NY, NY (2019), Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA (2018), Telfair Museum Jepson Center, Savannah, GA (2018), The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2017), Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA (2017), High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2016), among others. He has received a range of awards and fellowships, including The Hudgens Prize (2019), Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant (2019), Hambidge Distinguished Fellowship (2019), The Southern Art Prize (2018), The State Fellow of Georgia (2018), Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (WAP) Fellow (2017), Artadia Award (2014), Winnie B. Chandler Fellowship, and the Forward Arts Emerging Artists Award.

CV

PAUL STEPHEN BENJAMIN

EDUCATION
MFA, 2013, Welch School of Art and Design Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 
BFA, 1988, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL

SELECTED SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2020   Compositions in Absolute Black: Hudgens Center for the Arts, Duluth, GA

2019    Pure, Very, New: Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY

2018    Reinterpreting the Sound of Blackness: Telfair Museum, Savannah, GA 

2017    Pure Black: Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia,  Atlanta, GA

2016    God Bless America: Poem 88 , Atlanta, GA
            Black is the Color: High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA 
            Come Over: Gallery 72, Atlanta, GA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021    Yesterday We said Tomorrow: Prospect 5, New Orleans, LA
            Dirty South: Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, VA
            Just Injust: Space One Eleven, Birmingham, AL

2020   State of The Art 2020: Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville, AR 
           This is America: University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington, KY
           States of Mind: Art and American Democracy: Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University, Lexington, KY

2019    On Refusal: Representation and Resistance in Contemporary Art: MAC Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland
            Black is Beautiful: Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA 
            Great Force: Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
            Xlll Bienal de La Habana en Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba 

2018    Measured in Moments: Save House Museum in Collaboration with Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Greensboro, AL 

2017    Fictions: Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, NY
            Virtue of The Vicious: Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
            Unloaded: Dashboard at Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta, GA
            Videos For A Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

2014    Coloring: Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA Exquisite Corpse: Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA 

2013    On Paper: Fieldwork Contemporary, Pittsburgh, PA 
            Diasporal Rhythms: University of Chicago Logan Center For The Arts, Chicago, IL 
            One City: Tubman Museum of African American Art, Macon, GA 
            Word: Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Decatur Book Festival, Atlanta, GA 
            The Dream: Five Artist, Five Voices: Hudgens Center for the Arts, Duluth, GA 

2011     The Painted Photograph: Southwest Arts Center, Atlanta, GA 
             G2: Transformations: Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta, GA 
             Bring It: Texas Tech University Landmark Gallery, Lubbock, TX

COLLECTIONS
City of Chicago Percent for the Arts, IL
Clark Atlanta University, GA
Concordia University
Crystal Bridges Museum, AR
High Museum of Art, GA
Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia, GA
Telfair Museum of Art, GA
Thomas Foundation
Virginia Museum of Fine Art, VA
Zuckerman Museum, GA

GRANTS AND AWARDS
Hudgens Prize
Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant
Hambidge Distinguished Fellow
Southern Art Prize by South Art
State of Georgia Art Fellowship
Working Artist Project MOCA GA Fellow
Artadia The Fund for Art and Dialogue 2014 
Recipient Winnie C. Chandler Art and Design Fellowship 
Atlanta Contemporary Art Center Studio Program 
Museum of Science and Industry
Forward Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award 
Diasporal Rhythms Artist Recognition Award 

LECTURES
Lipscomb University, Being a Contemporary Artist, Nashville, TN 
University of Puget Sound, 2018 Race and Pedagogy National Conference, Tacoma, WA 
Tacoma Art Museum, To Sing of Beauty. Discussion with Rock Hushka, Tacoma, WA
Telfair Museum, Reinterpreting the Sound of Blackness, discussion with Rachel Reese, Savanah, GA
MOCA GA, Working Artists Program, Pure Black, Atlanta, GA
Georgia State University, Contemporary Views on Being an Artists with Jill Frank, Atlanta, GA
Emory University, Discussions in Black Aesthetics with Dr. Michael D. Harris PhD, Atlanta, GA
Savanah College of Art and Design with Gail O’Neill, Atlanta, GA
Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Gallery 72 with Kevin Sipp, Atlanta, GA 
Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston, GA 
Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Concordia University Chicago, Ferguson Gallery, River Forest, IL
Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Dissolving Stereotypes/Forging New Dialogues: An Exhibition Beyond Race, Atlanta, GA with Larry Walker
Madison Morgan Cultural Center, Madison, GA
Swan Coach House Forward Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award, with Marianne Lambert, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Looking Closely at a Work of Art with Stuart Horodner, Isolde Brielmaier and Jason Francisco
University of Illinois Chicago, A Patriotic View of American with Krista Thompson and Phillip Royster 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Williams, Michael Paul “The history of the African American South is really the history of this country”: “The Dirty South” at VMFA, Richmond Times Dispatch, May, 2021

Feaster, Felicia, “Exhibit Unabashedly states ‘Black is beautiful’” Atlanta Journal Constitutional, Atlanta, GA Oct, 2020

Davis, Ben, Arkansas’s Crystal Bridges “State of the Art 2020”, Bentonville, AR, Feb. 2020

Weber, Jasmine. “In Richmond, Tracing the Great Force of American Racism”, Hyperallergic Dec. 2019

O’Neill, Gail. See it Now: “Project” at innovative Temporary Art Center, ARTSATL Nov. 2019

Higgins, Sarah. “The Infinite Nature of Black”, Art Papers, Feb. 2019

Frieman, Lisa. Paul Stephen Benjamin: Pure, Very, New, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Jan. 2019

Goodalle, Stephanie E. “Nothing and Everything: Paul Stephen Benjamin in New York”, Burnaway, Feb. 2019

Weber, Jasmine. “Black as a Sensory Experience”, Hyperallergic, Feb. 2019

Deitz, Andrew. “Black”, The Art Section: An Online Journal of Art and Cultural Commentary, Dec. 2017  

Amirkhani, Jordan and Head, Greg.  “Art Review, Two Takes on Paul Stephen Benjamin’s “Pure Black” at MOCA GA.” ARTSAtl. Nov. 2017

Flamming, E.C. Review: Benjamin’s “Pure Black” Demonstrates the Artist’s Increasing Momentum.” ARTSatl, Oct. 2017

Valentine, Victoria L. ”New Season, New Art: Fall Begins with 45 Notable Exhibitions Featuring Works by Black Artists.” Culturetype, Sept. 2017

Thackara, Tess. “The Latest in the Studio Museum’s Landmark “F” Series is a Timely Exploration of Truth and Fiction, Artsy Editorial, Sept. 2017

Mitter, Siddhartha.  “At “Fictions” in Harlem, Young Black Artists are on Fire.” Village Voice, Sept. 2017

Twersky, Carolyn. “Here is the List of 19 Emerging Artist to Feature in New Studio Museum Show.” ARTnews Aug. 2017

Amirkhani, Jordan. “Paul Stephen Benjamin: God Bless America.” Daily Serving: An International Publication for Contemporary Art, Sep 2016

Emerson, Bo. “Atlanta Museum of Contemporary Art Awards Three Working Artists.” Atlanta Journal Constitution, July 2016 

O’Neill, Gail. “Paul Stephen Benjamin’s: Come Over Beckons Viewers to Collapse Past, Present and Future.” ArtsATL, Mar 2016 

Robinson, Shantay. “Studies in Blackness: Paul Stephen Benjamin at the High Museum and Gallery 72.” Burnaway, Mar 2016 

Manuel, Faron. “Come Over: Paul Stephen Benjamin Interview with Faron Manuel.” Black Art in America, Mar 2016 

Vega, Muriel. “Paul Stephen Benjamin Explores the Color Black.” Creative Loafing, Feb 2016

Moshayedi, Aram. “Art and Dialogue: Atlanta Summary from Aram Moshayedi.” Artadia.org June 2015 

Caudell, Sherri. “Exquisite Exhibit: An Exercise in Collaboration at ATL Contemporary.” Burnaway, Oct 2014 

Cullum, Jerry.  Review: Lively “exquisite corpse” in paint, video and sculpture from the Contemporary’s studio Artist.” ARTSatl, Sept, 2014

Rojas, Carl. “Studio Visit: Paul Stephen Benjamin.” Burnaway, Apr 2014

Cash, Stephanie. “Artadia Awards to Atlanta Artists” Burnaway, Apr 2014

Johns, Myke. “Bringing Coloring to the Contemporary.” NPR’s WABE, Mar 2014

Rojas, Carl. “Five Shades of Color at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center.” Burnaway, Jan 2014 

 

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