Lisa Benson (born 1966) is a New Zealand artist. Her work is held in the collection of

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

Career

Benson studied painting and photography at the

Waikato Institute of Technology The Waikato Institute of Technology, also known as Wintec, is an institute of technology based in New Zealand's Waikato region. Wintec offers over 130 degrees, diplomas and certificates. Wintec specialises in applied tertiary training for nurses ...

, in the Media Arts centre in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's fou ...

, where she has tutored since 1999. She traveled to

Melbourne Institute of Technology Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private tertiary educational institution catering principally to international students in Australia at campuses in Melbourne and Sydney. It has a NEAS-accredited English Language Centre and offers u ...

to complete a master's degree in 2000, under the guidance of David Thomas. Benson works mainly with photographic processes and equipment, interested in how time and light create images.

Notable exhibitions

* ''Drift'', Vavasour Godkin gallery, Auckland, 2006. This show was the result of a trip to the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

to create "disappearing drawings" using light-sensitive photographic paper. She captured images at

Lake Grassmere Lake Grassmere / Kapara Te Hau is a New Zealand waituna-type lagoon in the northeastern South Island, close to Cook Strait. The lake is used for the production of salt. Geography Lake Grassmere, south of Blenheim and south of the mouth of ...

, Mt John Observatory near Lake Tekapo, and Chancellor Dome on

Fox Glacier Fox Glacier (; officially Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe) is a temperate maritime glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Like nearby Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier is one of th ...

. * ''Composite Realities Amid Time and Space: Recent Art and Photography'',

Centre for Contemporary Photography The Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP), in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, is a venue for the exhibition of contemporary photo-based arts, providing a context for the enjoyment, education, understanding and appraisal of contemporary practic ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, 2007. This group exhibition was curated by David Thomas and featured works by artists from Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea. * Exhibited with Nine Dragon Heads at the

Sarajevo Winter Festival The Sarajevo Winter Festival ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Sarajevska zima'' / Сарајевска зима) is a cultural festival held annually since the winter of 1984-1985. The “Sarajevo Winter” Festival has traditionally been hel ...

in 2009. * ''Still'', RAMP, Hamilton, 2009. * ''Blinky'', RAMP, Hamilton, 2012. This show presented photographic images, including a series of various neon signs that spell words capturing certain philosophical ideas. Many of the works in this show were inspired by her time in Beijing.

Awards and residencies

* 2007 New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Merit Award for her work ''Mountain Landscape, Chancellor Dome, Fox Glacier June 2006''. This award is organised by the Waikato Society of Arts Inc. * Finalist in the Trust Waikato National Contemporary Art Award, 2008. * Recipient of Red Gate Gallery residency in Beijing, 2009.

References

1966 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand artists 21st-century New Zealand women artists {{NewZealand-artist-stub