PRESENTED BY JEFFREY JARZYNKA
Spring Lurks Like Snakes Under Flowers is a body of unique mixed media artworks inspired by the timeless nature of vintage fashion, and the anticipation of the imminent explosion of Spring. Gavin Benjamin is a multi-faceted artist with a background in commercial photography, painting, printmaking, and interior and product design. His process draws from these various disciplines as he digitally combines his own photography with found images and hand embellishes the printed piece with collage, paint, varnish, and other materials such as Swarovski crystals - the result of which he refers to as “couture art.” Born in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Gavin received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he was drawn to experiment with many mediums. An internship with legendary portrait photographer Arnold Newman fueled his passion for photography and led him to other opportunities working for photographers Steven Meisel and Kelly Klein. He continued to gain valuable experience as a photo editor for projects for Hachette Filipacchi and Esquire Magazines, Kenneth Cole Productions, Sony Style, Neiman Marcus and Time Life – all of which have seeded his inspiration and creativity for his photo-based art. His work has appeared at prominent galleries and art fairs both nationally and internationally. Recent exhibitions include the Architectural Digest Design Show, ArtHamptons, The LA Art Show, and Scope Miami. He is represented by galleries in New York City, Atlanta, and Paris, France. In Pittsburgh he is presented by Jeffrey Jarzynka. Gavin’s various fine art works, home accessories and designs have been featured in numerous national and regional publications including: City magazine; Clear Magazine; Interior design magazine (ICFF Picks, Spring Market Tabloid); New Glass Review; Pittsburgh Post Gazette; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; V magazine, and the Washington Post.