Penelope Benton is a Sydney based emerging artist working across photography, installation and performance. Her recent practice has seen collaboration with Alexandra Clapham and artists from the Glitter Militia collective exploring the table as a stage and the dinner party as the source of anarchic art events. She has a BA Visual Arts from the University of Newcastle, MArtAdmin from COFA UNSW, Grad Dip in Arts Mgmt UTS and is a current MFA candidate at the College of Fine Arts. Benton completed a two year directorship at Firstdraft Gallery in 2008 and is one of the founders and co-owner/directors of The Red Rattler Theatre, Sydney's first legally licensed non-profit, volunteer-run warehouse for artists and activists.
Qualifications
Current Master of Fine Arts candidate, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
2006 Graduate Diploma in Arts Management, UTS
2001 Master of Art Administration, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
1997 Bachelor of Arts (VISUAL ARTS) The University of Newcastle
1995 Associate Diploma FINE ART, Hunter Institute of Technology
Solo Exhibitions
2011 "Une Collection de Parties Dècadents", 8-26 June, Firstdraft Gallery, Surry Hills
1997 "Violets Are Blue", 9-27 July, Watt Space, Newcastle
1996 "Via Paris", 24 Nov-2 Dec, Watt Space, Newcastle
Selected Group Exhibitions
2012 Cardboard Kitchen, collaboration with Alexandra Clapham, Eastern Bloc Rozelle
2012 B+W Dinner, performance installation with Alexandra Clapham, Carriageworks
2011 Kanapes with Krell, collaboration with Alexandra Clapham and the Glitter Militia, The Rocks Village Bizarre
2011 Dinner with Elizabeth, collaboration with Alexandra Clapham and the Glitter Militia, The Rocks Village Bizarre
2011 The Great Winter, collaboration with Alexandra Clapham, Peloton
2011 "Une Fête dans le Papier (A Party in the Paper)" collaboration with Alex Clapham, The Paper Mill Sydney
2011 "High Tea" curated by Kim Brockett (Craft Victoria), Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, VIC
2010 “Women in Piracy”, Kudos Gallery Paddington
2010 “Draught” Tin Sheds, Chippendale
2009 “Unto The Breach (dear friends)”, Firstdraft Gallery
2009 “Save Firstdraft”, Firstdraft Gallery
2008 “Square Dance”, Firstdraft Gallery Surry Hills
2008 “Kudos to Kudos”, Kudos Gallery Paddington
2008 “Fairy Tales”, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2007 “Raise High The Roof Beams” BUS Gallery, Melbourne
2007 “FivexFive” Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Paddington
2007 “The T Show” Medium Rare Gallery, Redfern
2006 “Tools” FirstDraft Gallery, Surry Hills
2006 “Praxis” Kudos Gallery, Paddington
2005 “eat art” Surry Hills Festival, Tabou, Surry Hills
2005 “exposed” Space 3, Chippendale
2004 “Muffled: Dissonance” Kudos Gallery, Paddington
2004 “SLIT” Space 3, Chippendale
2003 “Ghetto Blast” curated by soda_jerk at Kudos Gallery
2003 “After Dark, My Sweet” curated by Jade Markham at Kudos Gallery
2002 “Eye Scream Iced Cream” Space 3, Chippendale.
2002 “Slacking Off: We Care A lot” at Imperial Slacks Gallery, Surry Hills
2002 “Her Pillows are Close to My Heart” Space 3
2001 “RISQUE” Kudos Gallery Paddington
2001 “Furr” Kudos Gallery Paddington
2000 “Nude Salon” Room 32, Surry Hills
2000 “Girls on Tap” Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst
1999 “The Word” Lovett Gallery, Newcastle
1999 “Blood Thirsty” Gibson Street Gallery, Newcastle
1998 “Encore” University of Newcastle Faculty of Art and Design Gallery
1998 “Eligible Bachelors” WattSpace Gallery, Newcastle
1997 “Violets Are Blue” solo exhibition, Hoist, Watt Space, Newcastle
1996 “Via Paris” solo exhibition, Locker Room, WattSpace
1995 “Salad” Neo Gallery, Newcastle
Selected Curatorial Projects
2008 “Fairy Tales”, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2007 “Domestic Love”, Kudos Gallery Paddington
2006 “Tools”, FirstDraft Gallery, Surry Hills
2005 “Brutal”, FirstDraft Gallery, Surry Hills
2004 “SLIT” Space 3, Chippendale
2003 “Sheila-Na-Gig” Space 3, Chippendale
2002 “Seductress: the work of women” Beowulf Galleries, Woolahra
2001 “RISQUE” Kudos Gallery Paddington
2000 “Furr”, Kudos Gallery Paddington
Citations
2012 "Cardboard Kitchen" Preview: FBI Flog Megan Garrett-Jones
2011 "The Great Winter" by Naomi Gall, the near & the elsewhere 25/9
2011 "Une Collection de Parties Dècadents" Naomi Gall, the near & the elsewhere 17/7
2011 Arts interview - The Red Rattler, 2 May
2011 "Artist-run performance spaces are jazzing up the live scene" TimeOut Sydney 20 April
2011 "Red Rattler wins", Inner west Courier, 20 March
2011 “Une Fête dans le Papier” review by Naomi Gall, the near and the elsewhere
2011 “Une Fête dans le Papier” disassociated
2010 “Une Fête dans le Papier” Pictorial, DasSuperpaper, Dec
2010 "Creative lashings of high tea at Bundoora Homestead", Preston Leader, 20 December
2010 "Red Rattler battles the red tape of bureaucracy", Inner West Courier, 15 September
2010 DasCinema http://dascinema.tv/episodes/02
2010 Cherrie, July
2010 "Red Rattler shakes up the indie arts scene", Sydney Morning Herald, 2 January
2009 "Bringing back some art and soul to our city", Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November
2009 "Desert Decadence", Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris, DasSuperpaper issue 10, p39-44
2009 Cherrie, September and December issues
2009 "Unto the Beach (Dear Friends)" artists talks - vimeo, 18 July
2009 The Brag: Creative Sydney Day 2: The Elephant in the Room, 29 May
2009 "The Red Rattler Sets Sail", Skynoise, 22 April
2009 "Rattling About", SX, 18 March
2009 Slit magazine Weird Science issue, cover and feature spread
2008 "The Red Rattler", Tracey Clement, Incubate, p53-55
2008 The College Voice, Volume 6 Issue 2
2008 Slit magazine Fairy Tales, and Gang Girls issues, feature spreads
2008 Cherrie, December
2007, Five x Five, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, April
2007 LOTL, February p24
2006 "I Shot Myself/Slit Magazine/Katie Ball", Sex TV, 1 July
2006 Slit magazine Animal and Tools issues
2005 "From creative hotbeds to cultural slums", Sydney Morning Herald, 4 July
2005 Slit magazine Brute issue
2004 Slit magazine Dissident issue
2004 “Slit this one in” interview with Ele Williams The Brag pg. 32, 26 January.
2004 Slit magazine Pink issue
2003 Slit magazine Codes and Uniforms, and Wet issues
2002 “Art Breakers” by Lenny Ann Low, exhibition review SMH Metropolitan Weekend Edition 27 – 28 July, pg. 11.
2002 “The Arts in Review” by Tim Benzie in Sydney Star Observer Thursday 27 June, p15
2002 Slit magazine Vamp and Kings issues
Talks/Panel discussions
2010 Making Space for Creative Communities, SAMAG, Australia Council, 22 February
2009 Pecha Kucha, The Red Rattler, 26 November
2009 One Way or Another Artist self-organisation in New South Wales, Artspace Symposium, 13 November
2009 Commercial Viability and Community Focus, This Is Not Art, TPI, 3 October
2009 Artists Run Initiatives and DIY - Focus on Marrickville, This Is Not Art, TPI, 3 October
2009 The Space Race, Creative Sydney, MCA, 28 May
2009 YES WE CAN - artists taking the initiative, COFA lecture series, 7 April
Current Positions
2008 – present co-owner / director (volunteer position) The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville
2007 – present COFA Manager, Arc@UNSW Ltd
Volunteer Positions
2007 – 2008 Firstdraft Gallery Board of Directors
2001 Assistant - Beowulf Gallery Woollahra
2000 Research Volunteer - Brett Whiteley Studio, AGNSW |
