Benjamin Murphy is a visual artist and writer based between London and Helsinki.
Born in West Yorkshire, Benjamin now exhibits globally. He holds one Bachelors degree and two Masters degrees, 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
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)
SELECTED PAST EXHIBITIONS
SELECTED SOLO SHOWS
ICONOCLASM – Union Gallery London 2023
DISASTERPIECE – Lychee One Gallery London 2022
Petrol/Station/Flowers – Lychee One Gallery London 2021
Gilded Chaos – Beers Contemporary (London) 2016
RESIDENCIES
Clovermill Residency (With Matt Macken) – Holland – 2022
Deaths and Entrances (solo show) – Mirada Gallery Ravenna, Italy – 2015
Nothing Is More Real Than Nothing (solo show) –Pescara, Italy – 2014
LuxUrban – Luxembourg 2013
TWO PERSON SHOWS
Verso (With Lars Hempler) – Lene Bilgrav Aarhus 2023
Ataraxia (With Rhiannon Salisbury) – TheRoomLondon 2022
Faded Glory (With Nick JS Thompson) – Book&Job Gallery San Fransisco 2019
Everything Must Go (With Hayden Kays) – London 2015
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
B&W – Duran Mashaal Gallery, Montreal, Canada 2023
London Art Fair (With Union Gallery) – London, UK 2023
FunGalGroUpShow – Sade Gallery LA 2022
Weeds Won’t Wither – Jari Lager Gallery Cologne Germany 2022
Art Busan Art Fair (With Jari Lager Gallery) – Busan Korea 2022
Lust For Life – De Melkerij Veltem-Beisem Belgium 2022
Clovermill Residency – Holland 2022
Dandelion – Delphian Gallery Basel 2021
In Praise Of Darkness – Piermarq Sidney, Australia 2021
Whelm – Leicester Contemporary 2021
Backdoor Show – NBB Gallery Berlin, Germany 2021
Wasteland – The Factory Project London, UK 2021
Antisocial Isolation – The Saatchi Gallery London, UK 2020 (also curating) 2020-21
Brindar Con Extraños (curated by Francisco Mendes Moreira) – Trinta Arte Contemporánea, Spain 2020-21
Online Viewing Room – Pt. 2 Gallery Oakland, USA 2020
Live From The Deep End – Gobstopper Gallery Philadelphia USA 2020
Online Viewing Room – Pt.2 Gallery Oakland USA 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
CURATED SHOWS
Ill Met by Moonlight (Georg Wilson solo show) – Delphian Gallery/Artsy 2023
Synthesis – Saatchi Gallery London 2022
The Uncanny Valley (Conor Murgatroyd & Peter Doyle) – The Room London 2022
Delphian Open Call – Unit 1 Gallery London 2022
Delphian Residency – La Cour de Husson France 2022
In Praise Of Darkness – Piermarq Gallery Sidney 2021
Pulling Faces – (Igor Moritz debut UK solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2021
femininity – Rhiannon Salisbury solo show – Delphian Gallery London 2021
Following Nature – Una Ursprung solo show – Delphian Gallery London 2021
Relax, The Universe is Expanding – David Shillinglaw solo show – Delphian Gallery London 2021
Fatal Shadow and Narcissus (Cathy Tabbakh & Elizabeth Power) – Delphian Gallery London 2021
Origin – Delphian Gallery London 2021
Wasteland – Delphian Gallery London 2021
The Doors Of Perception (Florence Hutchings solo show) – Delphian Gallery Paris 2020
Antisocial Isolation – The Saatchi 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).
Rosso Arts Academy Shanghai, Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki, Instart Hangzhou China, Camberwell College of Arts, SKD art Beijing, University of Birmingham, The University of Bedfordshire,The Slade School of Fine Art, The University of Salford, The Factory/ Guts Gallery, Cluster Art Fair, Copeland Gallery, theprintspace, The Churchill War Rooms, Artiq, Loop.gl Art Prize, University of Ravenna, LuxUrban Luxembourg.
POETRY READINGS
Bring One Get Words Free – London 2022
WRITING ENGAGEMENTS
Navigating the Art World – Professional Practice for the Early Career Artist was released through Foolscap Editions in Spring 2020
The play Flowering Desolation was released in 2018.
Poetry collection Perfectly Careless, Final Separation released Summer 2022.
Benjamin regularly contributes essays and articles to print and online publications, including:
FAD Magazine (Online)
This Is Tomorrow (online)
AfterNyne Magazine (print and online)
Assemblage Magazine (online)
55 Pages (print and online)
ArteFuse (online)
Young Artists in Conversation (online)
View available works on Artsy
Click [HERE]