Benjamin Murphy is most well-know for creating darkly alluring monochromatic, figurative line drawings using the esoteric medium of electrical tape. Murphy cuts the black tape and affixes it upon glass, to create detailed and elaborate portraits.
Much of the work in Lavish Entropy is inspired by the classic literature Murphy read as research for his first play Flowering Desolation, completed in early 2018. Literary Modernism and French Naturalism were of particular importance, and especially the works of Marcel Proust. Lavish Entropy opens on the 10th of July, which would have been Proust’s 147th birthday.
Much of the work is created in Murphy’s signature style, that of painting using only black electrical tape on glass. As well as this, Lavish Entropy will exhibit for the first time together his stitched paper drawings, ceramics, 3D tape drawings, and a single page from Flowering Desolation.
The title Lavish Entropy is synonymous with the title of Murphy’s last UK solo show Gilded Chaos at Beers Contemporary in 2016. The works from this show follow on from the last, building upon their opulence and hints of disaster.
Quickly following the close of Lavish Entropy, Murphy will be exhibiting at The Saatchi Gallery for a second time, showing a screenprint of one of the key pieces in Lavish Entropy.
About the Artist
Born in 1988, Benjamin Murphy is now based in London, and exhibits globally. He holds both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree, specialising in Contemporary Fine Art. As well as exhibiting regularly, he writes about contemporary art for a number of magazines, and curates multiple shows a year.
Career highlights include
Exhibitions: The Saatchi Gallery (London), Beers Contemporary (London), Subliminal Projects (Los Angeles)
Charity Exhibitions: The Serpentine Gallery, Sotheby’s, The Houses Of Parliament, The Wallace Collection
