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.

FRAMES OF REFERENCE

From observation and interaction come questions about our impact on the land.
Bennett’s frames are
- Parts of a sequence (1970s)
- Surroundings, mounts or supports (1980s)
- Structures on the land (1990s)
- References eg contexts, perspectives (2000s)
- Formulations of concepts (2010s) 
Here structures on the land frame the sea, sky and horizon.

DEMARCATION

Demarcation (boundaries and limitations) further explores our relationship with the land and sea – Aotearoa New Zealand and Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa the Pacific Ocean.

QUESTIONS

‘My work explores questions I ask myself. It is successful if it also prompts the viewer to raises questions of themselves’ Graham Bennett

SECTIONS OF THE GLOBE

Four of the 18 sections of the globe as described by lines of longitude and latitude form a ‘pod’ shape.  Work based on the pod explores a sense of place and the connection with self.  Sections alluding to our journeys (both internal and external) and place in the world are split, divided, and presented in multiples to extend the physical references to social and cultural connections.

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE

Latitude/longitude divisions of the globe serve to identify location, map or mark borders, measure territories, denote identity through place, tell of personal pathways or connections, allude to the seeking of a pathway or direction for the future.  These map works expand these notions.

SEXTANT

A sextant is an instrument with a graduated arc of 60° and a sighting mechanism, used for measuring the angular distances between objects and especially for taking altitudes in navigation and surveying. Measuring instruments and devices figure frequently in Bennett’s work. A sextant is associated with where we are and where we will head, along what line.

REASON

Four of the 18 sections of the globe as described by lines of longitude and latitude form a ‘pod’ shape.  Work based on the pod explores a sense of place and the connection with self.  Sections alluding to our journeys (both internal and external) and place in the world are split, divided, and presented in multiples to extend the physical references to social and cultural connections.

ENGAGE

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TRIG

Observing and questioning what is going on in our world.

Tricks and Truths
Rites and Rights
Incite and Insight
Graft and Grasp

Weighting and Waiting

We measure, and weigh up, and .... hesitate in our responses.
Where is the sense of urgency?

SIGNALS

Questioning leadership. What have we done, what is our way forward?
Read the signs –take heed.

Heavy ShadowS

One of five international artists selected for a residency in South Korea focused on sustainability, Bennett constructed a 3.8 metre sculpture, Tipping Point (2012). In response to the elements, a reflective man rotates above an improbable time device. As the sun moves across the sky in Hangaram Square Central, Seoul, the changing shadows cast by the figure over the course of a day on the grid-like paving of the square below are documented.

WADE

The Wade series is about exploitation of resources, the impact of industrial waste, and the tipping point at which the damage we cause is irreversible.There is no averting the gaze from the naked truth of the Wade sculptures, yet it’s hard to stare at the innocent figures standing in perilously contaminated waters from once pristine lakes.

The Deceived

The Deceived series is about the perilous future we have wrought for generations to come – our grandchildren, their children.

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.