Bright and bold 'Strawberry, Plum, Lemon-Lime' by Joshua Edward Bennett on display at Cleo the Gallery

 

By Mia Holmes

Photos by Jasmine Hsu

JOSHUA Edward Bennett’s art, a reflection of his unique perspective on the world, is characterized by his use of reclaimed materials and striking bold colors.

Bennett’s ability to find beauty in imperfection is a testament to his artistic vision and skill. Since August 12, Cleo the Gallery has had Bennett's Strawberry, Plum, Lemon-Lime on display. An Indianapolis native, he currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee, where he works as the gallery manager at Tinney Contemporary.

Bennett’s journey as an artist began with painting as an undergrad at University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, where he studied painting and used oil paints. Oil painters must possess a dedicated space with ventilation as they have to deal with chemicals; unfortunately, Bennett did not have a studio to pursue this line of artwork. Eventually, he found himself drawn to the more utilitarian materials and processes of signage making. This led him to develop his own unique style of wall relief sculpture, which combines elements of painting and sculpture in a way that is both innovative and visually striking. Bennett says that his sculptures can be considered as stop signs, as they use the language of signage.

“When I was in New Orleans, I worked with this machine basically to create signs for this company that I was working for. I had this sort of epiphany, these materials that had colors and there was a spray paint booth there that I could use. I was like, why am I not making artwork with the things that are around me? I think ultimately, I found out that I should start using the things that are around me to make art instead of boxing myself in with this idea that I was a painter. This was very freeing, and allowed me to think about art in a different way,” Bennett says.

He used a machine called a CNC router to create signs while in New Orleans. However, for Strawberry, Plum, Lemon-Lime, Bennett created these wall sculptures by hand. He said that the machine offers a near perfect precision, but he had to embrace the imperfections within his displayed works that he did by hand. The materials that Bennett uses in his sculptures are carefully chosen for their character and history. The old growth oak that he found on Facebook Marketplace, for example, is covered in imperfections such as knots and carpenter ants’ nests. Rather than seeing these imperfections as flaws, Bennett embraces them and incorporates them into the design of his sculptures.

Strawberry, Plum, Lemon-Lime in situ. Photos by Jasmine Hsu.

It only took Bennett two months to complete Strawberry, Plum, Lemon-Lime. He said that he worked on it every day after work in order to meet the deadline of the exhibition. The unique title refers to the colors that he used.

“I wanted it to be a fun title due to this embrace of the floor or imperfectness. I also wanted to include like an idea of levity or humor. A lot of my previous work takes a more serious role if there is humor involved, but it's much more varied. Not directly on the surface. With this work, I've used these sort of like cartoonish eyes that were pulled from a sports team. They're like a logo, and there's elements of chains and buzzsaws. In the context of these cartoonish eyes and these bold colors take on a cartoonish or a humorous role as opposed to a utilitarian element,” he says.

Bennett’s previous works have dealt with bigger questions of humanity and spirituality, or how we have can access a metaphysical element of our lives as humans. He says his past works have come across like they have never been touched, and more like they just came into existence.

Strawberry, Plum, Lemon-Lime exists for the pure joy of art and to make someone else feel happy. He thinks that art should be taken seriously, but levity assists with his current display existing for enjoyment and fun. Art does not always have to be created with an ulterior motive or to try and change people’s minds.