Benjamin Murphy is a visual artist and writer based in London.
Born in West Yorkshire in 1988, Benjamin now exhibits globally. He holds both a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, specialising in Contemporary Fine Art.
His current work explores themes of polarity, time, memory, and contrast – often rendered in charcoal on raw canvas.
He is the co-founder and co-director of Delphian Gallery, and is an associate lecturer at the University of the Arts London.
He enjoys reading, skateboarding, and talking about himself in the third person.
“Benjamin’s work makes me question every belief I hold dear.” – Jake Chapman
“Benjamin makes his work about life and death, the perennial concerns of young men.” – Billy Childish
“…this is a multifaceted talent who choses to focus his art on an aesthetic and ethos that is so well-rounded and thought-out that many artists working a lifetime would be jealous of.” – Andrew Salgado
“Yeah, looks alright.” – Grayson Perry
Education
Masters Degree in Academic Practice – University of the Arts London (ongoing)
Masters Degree with Merit – Contemporary Fine Art – The University of Salford
Bachelors Degree – Graphic Design – The University of Salford
AVCE (B,C) Art and Design – Leeds College of Art
Masterpieces of World Literature: Fictions of the Modern World – Harvard University(EdX Online)
The Original Spirit of Western Philosophy – Tsinghua University (EdX Online)
Shakespeare Matters – Adelaide University (EdX Online)
Philosophy and Critical Thinking – The University of Queensland (Edx Online)
Justice – Harvard University (EdX Online)
Benjamin has multiple pieces in the Rothschild Family Private collection, as well as many other private collections in The UK, Italy, Holland, The USA, Germany, Spain, Norway, Poland, Australia, Denmark, Finland, and others.
SELECTED PAST EXHIBITIONS
SOLO SHOWS
ANTIHERO – Delphian Gallery (Helsinki) 2019
Lavish Entropy – Delphian Gallery (London) 2018
Vile Oblivion – Creat Gallery (Helsinki) 2016
Gilded Chaos – Beers Contemporary (London) 2016
Innocence Is A Thing Of Which We Know Nothing – Great Eastern Bear Gallery (London) 2013
Abandon All Hope – Hoxton Gallery (London) 2012
RESIDENCIES
Deaths and Entrances (solo show) – Mirada Gallery Ravenna, Italy – 2015
Nothing Is More Real Than Nothing (solo show) –Pescara, Italy – 2014
LuxUrban – Luxembourg 2013
ART FAIRS
Moniker Art Fair – (With Stick Together and Art On A Postcard) London 2016
Berliner Liste – (With Max Zorn) Berlin 2015
Bloom – (With Max Zorn) Koln 2015
Stroke Art Fair – (With Max Zorn) Munich 2015
Moniker Art Fair – (With Jealous, and Art On A Postcard) London 2015
Moniker Art Fair – (Moniker Represented Artist) London 2014
TWO PERSON SHOWS
Faded Glory (With Nick JS Thompson) – Book&Job Gallery San Fransisco 2019
Everything Must Go (With Hayden Kays) – London January 2015
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
In Praise Of Darkness – Piermarq Sidney 2021
Antisocial Isolation – The Saatchi Gallery London 2020 (also curating)
Live From The Deep End – Gobstopper Gallery Philadelphia USA 2020
Dialogs – La Spezia Italy 2020
Online Viewing Room – Pt.2 Gallery Oakland USA 2020
Unmasked – Daniel Raphael Gallery London 2020
Works On Paper 1&2 – Blue Shop Cottage London UK 2020
Divergent Motion – Delphian Gallery London 2019
Trinity – The Saatchi Gallery London 2018
JNY – The Saatchi Gallery London 2018
Cash Is King – The Saatchi Gallery London 2018
Hospital Rooms – Griffin Gallery London – 2018
JNY – Jealous Gallery East London 2018
TAC – Neurotitan Gallery Berlin 2018
Reprieve Charity Gala – The Serpentine Sackler Gallery London 2017
WeAreTheOnes – Kunstsalion Copenhagen 2017
75 Works On Paper – Beers Contemporary London 2017
ING Discerning Eye Art Prize (invited artist) – The Mall Galleries London 2017
Tape Art –Ormond Art Museum Florida 2017
ASA Go Show – Go Gallery Amsterdam 2017
Art On A Postcard (Charity Show) – The Unit London 2017
DRM Spectacular (Charity Show) – The Grand Hotel – London 2017
Vernissage – Neurotitan Gallery Berlin 2016
Class Acts – Subliminal Projects Gallery Los Angeles USA 2016
Terrence Higgins Trust Auction (Charity Show) – The Savoy Hotel London 2016
Reprieve (Charity Show) – The Wallace Collection London 2016
MSF (Charity Show) – Hoxton Gallery London 2016
Diversity Role Models (Charity Show) –Waldorf Hotel London 2016
50×50 – The Saatchi Gallery London 2015
Repeive Auction (Charity Show) – The Wallace Collection London – 2015
Interior/ Exterior – Square and Friends Gallery Australia – 2015
Hemyca (London Fashion Week) – M&C Saatchi London – 2015
DNA BLN – DNA Berlin 2015
Apopo (Charity Show) – Belgium – 2015
Sadie Frost/ Hep C Fundraiser (Charity Show) – Groucho Club London 2015
Youth For Elder – Traffic Gallery Milan Bergamo 2015
CURATED SHOWS
In Praise Of Darkness – Piermarq Gallery Sidney 2021
The Doors Of Perception (Florence Hutchings solo show) – Delphian Gallery Paris 2020
Antisocial Isolation – The Saatchi Gallery/ Delphian Gallery London 2020
Delphian X Guts – The Factory London 2019
Habitual Submission – (Rhiannon Salisbury) – Delphian Gallery London 2019
Divergent Motion – Delphian Gallery London 2019
Open Call –Delphian Gallery London 2019
A Long Way from Home – (Igor Moritz & Kevin Perkins) –Delphian Gallery London 2019
Some Pieces of Mind – (Bertrand Fournier debut UK solo show) –Delphian Gallery London 2019
Open Call –Delphian Gallery London 2019
Seating Arrangement – (Florence Hutchings debut solo show) –Delphian Gallery London 2018
Diary of an Introvert – (Jordy Kerwick debut uk solo show) –Delphian Gallery London 2018
Open Call –Delphian Gallery London 2018
Lost Coast (Carson Lancaster debut UK solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2018
Printswap – theprintspace London 2017
Obscurely Prophetic –Delphian Gallery London 2017
Relics – BSMT Space London 2016
Defiance – John The Unicorn Peckham 2016
The Decline of Conscience– Hundred Years Gallery 2015
Art on a Postcard 2 – Soho Revue 2015
Art on a Postcard Moniker – Moniker Art Fair 2015
Art on a Postcard 1– Whitfield Fine Art Soho – 2014
Group Collective Are Kunsts – The Factory Whitechapel – 2013
Fuck Christmas – Hoxton Gallery – 2012
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Since 2018 Benjamin has held an academic post at University of the Arts London, as an Associate Lecturer on the IVM (Masters Degree).
Critical Thinking – Rosso Arts Academy Shanghai (Guest Lecture) 2020
Professional Practice – Camberwell College of Arts (Guest Lecture) 2020
Crit – Rosso Arts Academy Shanghai 2020
Interview – University of Birmingham 2020
Being An Artist – The University of Bedfordshire (Guest Lecture) 2019
Collaboration in the Art World – The Factory Panel Discussion (Chair) 2019
Professional Practice – Cluster Art Fair (Talk) Autumn 2019
Delphian Late – Copeland Gallery Panel Discussion (Chair) 2019
How To Navigate the Art World – theprintspace Panel Discussion (Chair) 2019
Working The Artworld – Cluster Art Fair (Talk) Summer 2019
11,098 Days on Earth – The Slade (Guest Lecture) 2018
Salford University – The Churchill War Rooms (Guest Lecture) 2018
How to make the Art Market Work For You – Artiq Panel Discussion 2018 (Panellist)
How to Thrive and Survive in the Art World – Delphian Gallery Panel Discussion (Chair) 2018
Invited Judge (With Short Lecture) – Loop.gl Art Prize 2018
Guest Lecture – University of Ravenna 2015
Panel Discussion – LuxUrban (Pannelist) 2013
WRITING ENGAGEMENTS
Navigating the Art World – Professional Practice for the Early Career Artist was released through Foolscap Editions in Spring 2020
His debut play Flowering Desolation was released in 2018.
Benjamin regularly contributes essays and articles to print and online publications, including:
Current:
FAD Magazine (Online)
Past:
This Is Tomorrow (online)
AfterNyne Magazine (print and online)
Assemblage Magazine (online)
55 Pages (print and online)
ArteFuse (online)