Simon Benjamin
b. St. Andrew, Jamaica
me@simonbenjamin.com
simonbenjamin.com
Education
2021 Hunter College, New York, NY
MFA, New Genres, Department of Art and Art History
2005 School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
BFA, Graphic Design (Honors)
2000 University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
BSc, Management Studies, Department of Social Sciences
Minor in International Relations
Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2020 Between Land and Sea: Simon Benjamin and Timothy Yanick Hunter, The 92nd St. Y, New York, NY
2016 FORUM, Solo Exhibition, NLS Kingston, Kingston, Jamaica
2014 SB/BS, Simon Benjamin and Brian Sensebe, The Nordic Light, Stockholm, Sweden
Group Exhibitions
2021 Kingston Biennial, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica (forthcoming)
2021 In the Wake, Hunter College Thesis Exhibition, New York, NY
2019 Beautiful Words are Subversive, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Video Snack VII: Video Object, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
2018 As Above, So Below: Interpretations of Roundness, Outpost Artist Resources, Ridgewood, NY
2018 To Break the Ocean, AC Institute, New York, NY
2017 The Ghetto Biennale, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2017 Jamaica Biennial, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
2016 Negotiated Realities, Columbia University, New York, NY
Curatorial Projects
2021 A Sense of Place, a Two-day online Symposium organized by Hunter College Graduate students and
curator Koyo Kouoh, Jan. 12-13th. New York (virtual)
2020 A Sense of Place, Three-day Symposium” organized by Hunter College Graduate students and
Curator Koyo Kouoh (canceled due to COVID-19), March 12-14th, New York, NY
2019 “W.O.T.Y. 3.2 – Scales”, Exhibition based on the Word of the Year– Justice. June 26-Sept. 14th Hunter East Harlem Gallery, New York, NY
Professional Experience
2007 – Present COURTESY Brooklyn, NY
Independent Filmmaker and Creative Director
2012 – 2018 School of Visual Arts New York NY
Adjunct Professor, Motion Design
Awards and Recognition
2021 Shandaken Projects, Printer in Residence, New York, NY
2021 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center Residency, New York NY
2021 Jamaica Art Society In Focus Fellowship, New York, NY
2020 Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Interdisciplinary residency with CoLab Dance, Tivoli, NY
2019 Goldberg Workshop with Koyo Kouoh at RAW Material Company, Dakar, Senegal
2018 Ruth Stanton Inaugural Scholarship, Hunter College, New York, NY
2017 Smithsonian Artist Research, Fellowship Nominee
Talks & Panels
2021 Art of and Around The Underground Railroad Hunter College with Barry Jenkins,
Dept. of Art and Art History, New York, NY
2021 Project EATS with Linda Goode Bryant: studio visit with Koyo Kouoh and Simon Benjamin, New York, NY
2020 Khalik Allah and Simon Benjamin in Conversation at The Hunter Moving Image Alliance, New York, NY
2020 Online Artist Talk, Syracuse University, Dept. of Transmedia, New York, NY
2020 Online Artist Talk, University of Virginia, Depart. of Art, Charlottesville, VA
2019 Beautiful Words are Subversive, curated by Black Chalk &Co., Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Artist Talk with Linyee Yuan for FORUM, a solo exhibition at NLS Kingston, Kingston, Jamaica
2011 “Investing in Imagination” TEDx Jamaica, Invited Speaker, Kingston, Jamaica
BIBLIOGRAPHY
To Break the Ocean Catalogue. AC Institute, New York, NY (2018)
2017 Jamaica Biennial Catalogue. Kingston, Jamaica: National Gallery of Jamaica.(2017)
“The Competing Politics of the Jamaica Biennial” in Hyperallergic (2017)
The 2017 Jamaica Biennial” in The Miami Rail (2017)
“Fifth Edition of Ghetto Biennale Announces Participating Artists” in ARTFORUM (2017)“
“NLS reports on Simon Benjamin’s FORUM” in ARC Magazine (2016)
“Nordic Light Hotel & The Crooked Leg Presents: SB/BS” in ARC Magazine (2014)
“PRINT Magazine New Visual Artist - 20 under 30” – PRINT Magazine (2007)