Benjamin Merris (1978) Idaho, USA
Lives and works in New York City
 
Education
2007   MFA, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow UK
2002   BA, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
 
Current and Upcoming Projects
2020    Group Show at Greene House Gallery, Brooklyn NY
           
Solo Exhibitions   
2018    Benny BonTempo, Cleopatra’s, New York, NY
        macrodaffodilia, Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY
2014    Stranger, Gallery Diet, Miami, FL
        All Ways Always, Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY
        How Forests Think, Battat Contemporary, Montreal, CAN
2013    ltd los angeles presents…Benny Merris, ltd los angeles, Los Angeles, CA
        Dessicated Punch Bowl (w/ Ben Dowell), Orgy Park, Brooklyn, NY
2011    Kunsthal Rotterdam (site-specific painting commission), Rotterdam, NL
2010    Happy As An Asteroid, Push Galerie, Montreal, CAN
        Bubble and Squeak, Arch 1 (curated by Jim Lambie), Glasgow, UK
        ECSTAT!C !NS!STANCE, Cokkie Snoei, Amsterdam, NL
2009    Non-Invasive Pioneers (with Bas Zoontjens), Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam
        Maximalism: Phase Three, The Project Room, Glasgow, UK
        SUPER DEUTSCHLAND BOOGIE WOOGIE 78, MAXHANSDANIEL, Berlin, DE
        Meaningism, Sweet Geranium Gallery, Glasgow, UK
        I Think I Don't When I Do But Uhhh, The Brunswick Hotel, Glasgow, UK
2007    Maximalism: Phase Two, inter/media gallery, Glasgow, UK
2006    Territory, E.S.U. Gallery (Edinburgh Festival) Edinburgh, UK
2003    It Doesn’t Matter, Espresso Royale, Boston, MA
        September, The Moan and Dove, Amherst, MA
 
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019        Drench, HACO gallery, Brooklyn NY
            The Mushroom Show, Sardine, Brooklyn NY
            Vanishing Point, L.O.G. at Camayuhs, Atlanta, GA
            LANDMARKS, SVA Flatiron Gallery, curated by Kayla Abree, New York, NY
            Away In The Hill, GRIMM Gallery, New York, NY
            Psychedelic Healing Center, Essex Flowers, New York NY
            The Garden of Earthly Delights, Washington Art Association, Washington, CT (curated by Timothy Bergstrom)
2018        Shandaken Paint School @ FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY
2017        Life’s Rich Pageant, Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY
            In Between Two Bodies (w/ Luke Armitstead and Zoe Nelson), South Of The
            Tracks Projects, Chicago, IL
2016        Protuberances, LAXART (curated by Jess Arndt and Catherine Taft), Los
            Angeles, CA
            Shroom Show, Helper (curated by Nicholas Moenich), Brooklyn, NY
            Sexting, Kate Werble Gallery, New York, NY
            Dude…Heavy, South Of The Tracks Projects, Chicago, IL
2015        The Secret Life, Murray Guy (curated by Leidy Churchman), New York, NY
2014        Trioceros (w/ Judy Chicago and Sascha Braunig), Regina Rex, New York, NY
            Half Drop, Telluride Arts Center (curated by Meredith Nemerov), Telluride, CO
            Nascent Magma Far Flung w/ Mike Welch, Helper Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013        Outside The Lines, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (curated by Dean
            Daderko) Houston, TX
            As Tears Go By, Cokkie Snoei, Rotterdam, NL
            Element, Rudiments, and Principles, Boston University Art Gallery, curated
            By Kate McNamara and Dana Frankfort, Boston, MA
            Pleinairism, Walter Phillips Gallery (curated by Kitty Scott and
            Silke Otto Knapp) Banff, CAN
            Mind The Gap, ff Konzepte zu Aktueller Kunst (curated by Veit Rieber) Frankfurt
            The End, Beginnings, Brooklyn, NY
2012        Bred and Fed, Shoot The Lobster @ BS Gallery, Iowa City, IA
            5 Positions, WWTWO Project Space, Montreal, CAN
            Artypes Portrait Salon, Public Assembly, Brooklyn NY
            Artypes Still Life Salon, Wandering Around Wondering, Brooklyn, NY
2009        Way Out Is The Way Out, Embassy Gallery (curated by Jamie Kenyon)  Edinburgh, UK
            Die Die Die, Member’s show, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, UK
            Neither Bird Nor Fish (w/ Ragnar Jonasson), SWG3, Glasgow, UK
2008        You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever, Galerie LHK, Paris, FR
            You Should Be On Holiday, Member’s Show, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, UK
            Future Greats, Salon Gallery, London, UK
            A Painting, A Guitar, A Wig and A Wheelie Bag (curated by Jim Lambie) Glasgow The State, A. Vermin in association            with Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Art, (curated by Alhena Katsof), Glasgow, UK
2007        No Way Out, Living Art Museum, Rekjyavik
            Furthermore, Artnews Projects, Berlin, DE
            MFA Degree show, Tramway, Glasgow, UK
            Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World, Low Salt, Glasgow, UK
            Royal Scottish Academy Student Exhibition, Edinburgh,UK
2006        Solo, Member’s Show, Transmission, Glasgow, UK
            MFA Interim Show, Macintosh Gallery, Glasgow, UK
            De Kunstvlaai 6, Westergas Fabriek, Amsterdam, NL
            Mercury Art Prize, The Hospital Gallery, London, UK
            Royal Scottish Academy Student Exhibition, Edinburgh, UK
            The Russian Doll Show, Assembly Gallery, Glasgow, UK
2005        It Shouldn’t Matter, The Moan and Dove, Amherst, MA
            Annual Show, Jamaica Plain Open Studios, Boston, MA
2004        The Otherside, The Otherside, Boston, MA
            Annual Show, Jamaica Plain Open Studios, Boston, MA
2003        Annual Show, Jamaica Plain Open Studios, Boston, MA
2002        Boston Printmakers Biennale, 808 Gallery.  Boston, MA
            Annual Show, Jamaica Plain Open Studios, Boston, MA
2001        Guest Show, Kingston Gallery, Boston, MA
 
Performance
2001 – 2004 Kaiju Big Battel.  Japanese monster combat. Live performances in NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Los Angeles. Produced 3 DVD’s with International distribution. Live performance on national television: MTV and “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” ABC broadcasting.
 
 
 
Residencies
2018    Shandaken Projects, Paint School, New York, NY
        Offshore Residency, Saronic Sea, Greece
2015    Denniston Hill, Catskills, NY
2012    The Banff Centre – Summer Thematic Residency w/ Jan Verwoert and
        Silke Otto-Knapp, Banff, CA
2000    University of Massachusetts Boston Summer Residency on Nantucket, MA
 
Awards/Grants
2016    Louis Comfort Tiffany Award (nominee)
2009    British Arts Council Travel Grant
2007    Glasgow Sculpture Studios Graduate Award
2006    Royal Scottish Academy DCA Data Solutions Prize for Painting
 
Public Collections
AkzoNobel Art Collection
 
Public Lectures
2018    Keltie Ferris, Benny Merris, Bob Nickas at Cleopatra's, Brooklyn, NY
2016    Benny Merris at The Museum of Modern Art Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX
 
Bibliography
”Chelsea on Warren”, imby (in my back yard), John Isaacs, 25/05/14
“Must See This Week”, Canadian Art, 15/05/14
“Exploring the Spiritual Through Art” BU Today, John O’Rourke, 04/12/13
“Benny Merris: An Embodiment of the Abstract” CAMH TV, 14/09/13
’Outside the Lines’ Opens Up a World of Abstraction” Houston Chronicle, Molly Glentzer, 08/09/13
”Maximal Abstraction”, Montreal Mirror, Stacey DeWolfe, 21/10/10
“Benny Merris:  Bubble and Squeak”, The Skinny, Andrew Cattanach, 21/04/10
“Benny Launches Surprise Attach on Third Person. Position. Pictures.” John Calcutt, It’s Not Hard: Explorations of Live Art, 2008
“Glasgow International”, Martin Vincent, Frieze, Issue 116 June/July/August 2008
“A.Vermin”, Jenny Richards, The Skinny Online, 23/04/2008
“High thrills and ungodly chills”, Moira Jeffrey, Scotland On Sunday, 20/04/08
“No Mean City For Art”, Susan Mansfield, The Scotsman 18/04/2008
“Outsiders Give The Art Festival Its Edge’, Jack Mottram, The Herald, 18/04/2008