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Knowledge Bennett
Born
New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Known forcontemporary art, street art
Movementcontemporary art, street art
Websiteknowledgebennett.com

Knowledge Bennett is a Los Angeles based visual artist known for his signature style that fuses Pop Art and Street Art with contemporary and historical imagery.[1][2] His provocative hybrid painting of Chairman Mao Zedong and Donald Trump was featured in the Chinese edition of the New York Times.[3] Bennett's work has been illustrated and discussed in publications including Vogue Magazine and the Huffington Post and exhibited internationally at art fairs including Art Basel.[4]

Early History

Bennett is a self-taught artist from Asbury Park, New Jersey.[5] In 2004, he relocated to Los Angeles.[6] Motivated by an entrepreneurial spirit and interest in art history, once Bennett came to L.A., he started collecting fine art and taught himself fashion photography and various production processes, including silk-screening.[7][8][9]

Canvas Art

The subject of Bennett's art often surrounds appropriated photographs of famous creatives that he alters in different ways to emphasize social issues, like racism and sexism, that plague American society.[10][11] His production techniques, use of the same image in serial repetition, and even some of the images themselves, are inspired by Andy Warhol.[12]

Obama Cowboy, 2012

In 2012, Bennett began working with appropriation techniques and quotations of Warhol in his series Obama Cowboy. Here Bennett replaces the face of Elvis Presley in Warhol's Elvis (Cowboy), 1963 with the face of President Obama. This re-purposing introduces the conversation of race into the image and explores matters of gun culture, gun control and the meaning of the Second Amendment in contemporary society.[12]

Cojones, 2014

For this series, Bennett appropriates the famous 1989 photograph taken by Janette Beckman of the rapper Slick Rick grabbing his groin, keeping the body and altering the meaning of the image by changing the face.[13] Some of the historic and contemporary figures Bennett has inserted in this image include: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Tupac Shakur, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Beyonce, Madonna, John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Frank Sinatra.[14][15][16] In his new iteration of the image, Bennett emphasizes the defiance and courage of the icons he selects.[17]

In 2016, Bennett exhibited several paintings from his Cojones series at Art Southampton on Long Island.[10]

Share A Coke (Coke Bottle), 2015

2015 marked the centennial of Coca-Cola’s revolutionary bottle design. Bennett took this opportunity to celebrate not only the company but also Warhol's iconic image of the Coca-Cola bottle, updating the design to reflect its contemporary branding.[18] Bennett first exhibited works from this series during Scope Miami Beach.[19]

Mao Trump, 2016

To maximize his political statement, Bennett combined the iconic image of Chairman Mao Zedong originally silk-screened by Andy Warhol in 1972 with an image of then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.[20][21] For Bennett, this controversial image illustrates the perils of power as it pertains to both Eastern and Western political, cultural, and economic systems.[22]

Orange is the New Black, 2016

In the series Orange is the New Black, Bennett's most political to date, Bennett uses his signature silk-screening technique and serial formats to engage in a conversation surrounding racism in America.[23][11] Utilizing images of historical black figures such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and J. Edgar Hoover and printing them in an orange color reminiscent of prison jumpsuits, Bennett identifies factual wrongdoing and abuse dating back to the 1930s.[24][23]

Presence at Auction

Bennett has sold multiple works at auction through Julien's Auction and in 2017 was a featured artist on Artsy benefiting the American Civil Liberties Union.[25][26][27][28]


References

  1. ^ "Artist Interview—Knowledge Bennett's Use of History and Appropriation". Artsy. 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  2. ^ "Knowledge Bennett". Widewalls. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  3. ^ "為川普加油的中國人到底怎麼想？". 紐約時報中文網 (in Chinese). 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  4. ^ "Amar'e Stoudemire's Artful Slam Dunk in Miami". Vogue. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  5. ^ "Eazy-E comes back to life with Knowledge Bennett | Gallery38 - Art Gallery". Gallery38 - Art Gallery. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  6. ^ "KNOWLEDGE BENNETT". Struck Contemporary. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  7. ^ "Knowledge Bennett - Artists - Galerie LeRoyer". www.galerieleroyer.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  8. ^ "Don't Miss Knowledge Bennett at SCOPE and in "Orange Is The New Black" - Whitewall". Whitewall. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  9. ^ "Knowledge Bennett | Artist | Art Angels". www.artangels.net. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  10. ^ a b Helander, Bruce (2016-07-06). "Multiple Gems At Art Southampton 2016". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  11. ^ a b Hernandez, Jasmin (2016-11-23). "Art ON!.. Knowledge Bennett uses pop art to dissect hard truths about our society". Konbini United States. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  12. ^ a b "Knowledge Bennett reinterprets pop art in exhibit at Gallery Guichard". Rolling Out. 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  13. ^ "Knowledge Bennett Opens 'Cojones' Collection at Windmark Recording Studio - The Knockturnal". The Knockturnal. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  14. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Visits Knowledge Bennett's Art Series At Windmark Recording Studio | The Source". The Source. 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  15. ^ "Knowledge Bennett presented by Guerrilla Atelier Gallery opens March 26th". Cartwheel Art. 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  16. ^ "Artists Canvass Deals at Open Houses | Los Angeles Business Journal". labusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  17. ^ "Art World : Knowledge Bennett Opening 3/26 at Guerilla Atilier | TGIF Guide". tgifguide.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  18. ^ "Knowledge Bennett's "Repeat Offender" Coming To The Hamptons | The Arts | In the Galleries". www.hamptons.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  19. ^ "Art Basel – SCOPE – 2016 | Macaya Gallery". macayagallery.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  20. ^ "Donald Trump: Piece of Work or Work of Art?". Complex. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  21. ^ "Knowledge Bennett". www.atimes.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  22. ^ "Knowledge Bennett's "Repeat Offender" Coming To The Hamptons | The Arts | In the Galleries". www.hamptons.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  23. ^ a b "Knowledge Bennett's "Orange Is The New Black"". Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  24. ^ "For Artist Knowledge Bennett, "Orange Is The New Black"". Mass Appeal. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  25. ^ "2015 Street Art Auction -- Julien's Auctions". www.juliensauctions.com. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  26. ^ "Julien's Auctions: Street Art Now II | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  27. ^ "Street Art for ACLU: Benefit Auction 2017 | Artsy". m.artsy.net. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  28. ^ "Street Art for ACLU: Benefit Auction 2017". Art for Social Action. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
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