More than a ‘chronology’ is needed to gather the many strands of Graham Bennett’s career – it is a journey in every sense of the word, gathering in threads of philosophy, humanity, environment, activism, cultural awareness, connection with ocean, earth and sense of place.
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In the 1980’s work transitions between two dimensions and three dimensions as photographs, lithographs and drawings are cut-out, assembled and constructed before becoming wall mounted sculptures.
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Towards Parameters - Two Diagonals, 1987
Mixed media on paper, polyester resin laminate
570 x 570 x 170 mm
Two temporary installations on Nelson’s Boulder Bank in the 1990s (Sea/Sky/Stone and Demarcation) set the stage for decades of future work referencing our relationship with the sea, Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa the Pacific Oceanand the land, Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Finding a Balance, 1999
Painted, rusted cast iron, stone, steel, bronze
700 x 300 x 250 mm
Private collection
‘Through the imagery of mapping, measurement and navigation, Bennett invites us to think about identity, exchange, responsibility and finding a sense of place.’ Felicity Milburn 2020
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Spheres of Influence, 2004
Mixed media on Arche paper
800 x 1350mm
Private collection Japan
Reflection: A characteristic employed frequently, physically and metaphorically. Look forward to see back.
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Issues confront us, and then there is the uncertainty of how much time we have to address them - between these two poles a tenuous relationship holds. What, we wonder, and where, are the tipping points?
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Tipping Point, 2012
Stainless steel, brass, aluminium
3200 x 2000 x 2000mm
Songchu Art Valley, South Korea
Axes: Tools of both construction and destruction – disruptive technology - Bennett’s axes exist within the axis of the Pacific. The pine handles (an introduced species), native timbers heads (Totara, Kauri), and Bennett’s own signature patterns reference Mangaian (Cook Island) ceremonial adzes made for trade with early explorers, and the disruptive impacts of one culture on beliefs and practices of another.
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Disrupt, 2021
Each axe - 935 x 201 x 30 mm
