Benjamin Work  

b. 1979, Tāmaki-makau-rau, Auckland

Benjamin Work is an Auckland-based artist of Tongan (Vava’u) and Scottish heritage. He has a solid grounding in aerosol painting with his initial creative output centred around sub/ pop-cultural influences that emerged from North America in the 1970s – 1980s.

Since then, Benjamin’s bold visual language reference design elements and semiotics particular to Tongan weaponry and culture. His practice extends across a diverse range of projects which include gallery exhibitions, large scale murals, print based media and photography. His work reflects the ‘here and now’ and engages with the current cultural, political and social context of Auckland, Aotearoa.
Work has exhibited in a number of group and solo exhibitions including:

Whenua Fonua 'Enua, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Auckland; 
METfriday, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA;
For King and Country, Bergman Gallery, Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 

Selected Exhibitions

  • 2017  Whenua Fonua 'Enua, Malcolm Smith Gallery, Auckland  [solo]
                Return to Havaiki, Bergman Gallery, Rarotonga, Cook Islands  [solo]
                Post Graffiti Pacific, TSB Wallace Arts Trust, Auckland  [group]
  • 2016   The Glorious Children of Te Tumu, Corbans Art Estate, Auckland  [solo]
                For King and Country, Bergman Gallery, Rarotonga, Cook Islands  [solo]                      The Glorious Children of Te Tumu - Salisbury Int. Arts Festival, England [solo]
                METfriday , The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA  [group]
  • 2015   Ma'ae Tu'i o e Fonua, Māngere Arts Centre, Auckland  [solo]
                PGP , AMbush Gallery, Sydney, Australia [group]
                Toutoutā, Olivia Laita Gallery, Auckland [solo]
  • 2014   I see red, I see red, I see red, FRESH Gallery Ōtara, Auckland  [solo]
                Tauhi Vā, FRESH Gallery Ōtara, Auckalnd [group]
  • 2013   If These Walls Could Talk, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre [group]
                Serigraph show, Olivia Laita Gallery, Auckland [group]           
                Graffiato , The Storehouse, Taupo [group]
  • 2012   No'o Fakataha , Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland [group]
                WWJD , FRESH Gallery Ōtara, Auckland [group]
  • 2011   Primary Flight , ART Basel Miami, USA [group]


Selected Collections

  • TSB Wallace Arts Trust , Auckland, NZ
  • Paenga Hira Auckland Museum, NZ
  • Welt Museum, Vienna, Austria


Using Format