Ben Somerville | FireWorks Gallery

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Selected works

Bio & CV

Born: 1971 Brisbane QLD

Ben is based in Brisbane, however, after growing up in Western Queensland, he still considers himself a ‘country person’. Several years spent living in the Northern Territory strengthened Ben’s childhood connection to the Australian landscape and its inhabitants. He reuses found materials meaningful to Australian cultural heritage – such as weathered corrugated iron, old hardwood fence posts, tin and old chemical drums – to create sculptural works inspired by native Australian wildlife. Ben’s assemblage-style sculpture was first exhibited in Darwin in 1997. As well as his ongoing exhibitions, Ben specialises in on-site commissions. His works are held in numerous private collections nationally.

Story/Statement

IRONY
Sustainability issues, and reuse of materials meaningful to an Australian cultural heritage, are visible in his use of corrugated iron, old hardwood fence posts and other remnants in his making of the goannas, thylacine, turtles, wombats, eagles and kookaburras for this most recent exhibition. The materials are gathered from creeks and parks, friend’s properties, and house renovations, and are cut and shaped. He may add rivets, concrete at times, but mostly his cost is simply the time invested in these materials which themselves have, for Somerville, highly valued and visible life experience. The sculptures are inspired at times by the shape and surface of the found materials, at others by animals he has seen and wishes to recreate.

Excerpt from Irony FireWorks Gallery catalogue essay, Louise Martin-Chew 2010

BEN SOMERVILLE

Born: 1971 Brisbane QLD

EDUCATION

2004 Graduate Diploma in Industrial Design Queensland University of Technology

2000-3 Bachelor of Built Environment Industrial Design Queensland University of Technology

1993-5 Bachelor of Arts majoring in English & Philosophy University of Queensland

1990 1st Year Bachelor of Science University of Queensland

EXHIBITIONS—SOLO

2013 Miniatures FireWorks Gallery Brisbane

2012 Somerville: New Works Inspired by North Stradbroke Island FireWorks Gallery Brisbane

2010 Irony FireWorks Gallery Brisbane

2003 Catch of the Day Dridan Fine Arts Mclaren Vale

2000 Bush Junk Framed Gallery Darwin

1999 Rusty Tails Red Rock Art Kununurra

1998 Rusty Genes Woods Street Gallery Darwin

1998 Good Dog/Bad Dog Framed Gallery Katherine

EXHIBITIONS—GROUP

2016 secondnature Fireworks Gallery Brisbane

2016 secondnature Merricks House Art Gallery Victoria

2014 Cross Over Merricks House Art Gallery Victoria

2012 Melbourne Art Fair (FireWorks Gallery)

2011 Eclectica 1 FireWorks Gallery Brisbane

2009 Sculpture + Works on Paper FireWorks Gallery Brisbane

2007 Swell Currumbin Beach QLD

2005 Swell Currumbin Beach QLD

2004 Corrugated! Manning Regional Art Gallery Taree

2004 Recycled Art Global Arts Link Ipswich

2003 What have you done lately…? FireWorks Gallery Brisbane

2002-3 Wild Nature touring exhibition Jam Factory Adelaide

1998 2nd Hand Wave Sculpture by the Sea Darwin

1998 One Notion Artspace Winnellie Darwin

1997 East Kimberley Art Awards 24hr Art-member's show Darwin

PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

2012 Murray Cod sculpture for Surat District Development Association Ballone River Surat
2012 Kookaburra sculptures for highway entrances to Surat Maranoa Shire

PUBLISHED MATERIAL

2010 Louise Martin-Chew (Catalogue Essay)

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