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  • Man with Sealed Lips
    Acrylic
    30" x 30"

  • Men Prohibited from Speaking
    Acrylic
    30" x 30"

  • Outburst 4
    Acrylic
    12" x 12"

  • Outburst 2
    Oil
    12" x 12"

  • Untitled 1
    Acrylic
    32" x 28"

  • Untitled 3
    Acrylic
    32" x 28"

  • Untitled
    Acrylic
    32" x 28"


Oliver BenoitOliver Benoit

Oliver Benoit

Elements of Abstraction
October 27 - November 17, 2009 Reception: Thursday October 29, 2009 6-8 PM

Press Release

Painting has frequently been an act of political or social commentary for Oliver Benoit, whose stimulating, multilayered works present to us challenging interactions between his powerful themes and the textures and colors which bring them forth. Oliver deftly applies his paint in varying degrees of thickness and in a way that challenges our conventional distinction between abstraction and representation. The use of luminous colors and provocative shapes imbues beauty and meaning in these works, which often subtly evoke a sense of unease in the viewer. It is through this strong combination of artistry and intellectual intensity that the moods in Oliver's compelling paintings rise out of their sculptural, labyrinthine forms. These sensitive yet formidable works speak to us on many levels and offer themselves as mirrors to our own psychologies.

The emotional, intellectual and aesthetic power of Oliver Benoit's work is a testament to his commitment to both the discipline and the exuberance of his art, and to creating beautiful canvases that are controlled yet magnificently stunning.


Artist Statement

In 2007 I began this body of work entitled “Outburst”. It is the individuals desire to escape from the self, when the individual is no longer acceptable to the prevailing social order. Several attempts by the individual to escape this self are confronted with anxiety. If I escape what do I do with my soul, or my wealth? How will I live in such freedom? Who will control me? Or whom will I control? I imagine the confused individual trying to escape from himself when he can no longer tolerate living in the social order that made him. How will he escape this order? Because the order says I cannot be. These paintings will not be displayed in any particular order—I hate order—the very thing humanity cannot live without.

Invitation to the exhibition | View the catalog page

Martedì - Sabato 11-18
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Artists in this exhibition
Hexagon 1AndrogynyEncore 2Untitled 1EscapandoFrom the Phenomena Series IIInternally DrivenMan with Sealed Lips