The Nothing Series and Pooka up close

University of Delaware MFA Solo Exhibition by Benjamin Lee Sperry

June 7 - 30, 2019

OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, June 7, 2019 | 5 - 9 PM during Art Loop

ARTIST’S RECEPTION: 
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
5 - 7 PM
Artist talk at 6:00 PM

In a joint venture with the University of Delaware, The Delaware Contemporary presents The Nothing Series and Pooka up close, a solo show of works by Benjamin Lee Sperry. Reflecting on a childhood memory of getting his first camera, Sperry recalls, "I spent the rest of the evening photographing the floor. People kept saying things like 'Ben don't waste your film.' That notion didn't quite make sense to me. Why did they all assume that photographing the floor was so certainly a waste?" 

This idea has followed Sperry throughout his life as he still employs a similar stream-of-consciousness method in his photography. Using his photographs of "nothing" as a starting point, Sperry translates the images using a CMYK screen printing process. He aims to give them potential to be "something" through their juxtaposition with his paintings and drawings. The resulting diptychs made through this unique working structure explore concepts of post-visualization versus a pre-visualization and how these notions affect the intentions of his creations, summoning the viewer to "up-close" inspection.  

Benjamin Lee Sperry is a mixed media artist working primarily in printmaking, painting, and photography. He received his MFA from The University of Delaware in May of 2019 and a BFA in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of Visual Arts in 2016. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and most recently was included in the group show Roadside Picnic at Heit Gallery in Berlin, Germany.

- This exhibition is coordinated by Kate Testa, University of Delaware Curatorial Fellow.

DuPont I Gallery