Biography
Born in Nelson, New Zealand in 1957, Graham Bennett graduated from the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts, where he trained in photography in 1971. He now lives and works in Christchurch as a full-time artist.
His growing interest in three-dimensional forms, particularly the human figure, lead him to focus on sculpture, working in stainless steel, bronze, wood and stone, although a wide-ranging practice including teaching, has seen him also working with printmaking, rug design,and mixed-media drawings.
His work shows a fascination with mapping and navigation and the relationship between people and place: "My work is a convoluted journey of tangents and overlays, providing opportunities to trigger questions for myself and others about who, where and when we are or perhaps to challenge what balance means in our life, actions and relationships with the earth and with others."
Throughout his career Bennett has had more than fifty exhibitions including ten in group shows in Japan and he has received numerous prestigious awards and grants, residencies and private and public commissions, both within New Zealand and internationally. His work is held in public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia, England, France, Spain, USA and Japan.
In 2012 Bennett was one of five international artists chosen to participate in the Seoul International Sculpture Festa. His commissioned work, Tipping Point, was installed permanently in the Crown Haitai's Art Valley Sculpture Park and was also chosen as the predominant image for the symposium’s marketing design.
In 2020, an exhibition titled Seeking a Balance opened at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, showcasing a mix of sculptures, drawings and large-scale projections of some of Bennett’s larger environmental sculptures, and celebrating his remarkable 50-year career.