Benjamin Murphy — artist and writer
Biography
Benjamin Murphy is an artist and writer based between London and Helsinki.
Born in West Yorkshire, Benjamin now exhibits globally. He holds one Bachelors degree and two Masters degrees, specialising in Contemporary Fine Art.
Over recent years his work has featured floral arrangements, presidential assassinations, intimate portraits, 90s nostalgia, spiders, snakes, terrorists, political prisoners, serene landscapes, lingerie, MMA knockouts, still lifes, drinking culture, The Brontës, Tolstoy, Proust, Dostoyevsky, swans, plants, popes, car crashes, reportage photography clippings, elaborate vases of flowers, and crime scenes.
He is the co-founder and co-director of Delphian Gallery, and is a lecturer at universities worldwide.
He enjoys reading, skateboarding, boxing, and talking about himself in the third person.
“Benjamin's work makes me question every belief I hold dear.”
“Benjamin makes his work about life and death, the perennial concerns of young men.”
“Yeah, looks alright.”
- Masters Degree in Academic Practice – University of the Arts London
- Masters Degree with Merit – Contemporary Fine Art – The University of Salford
- Bachelors Degree – Graphic Design – The University of Salford
- AVCE (B,C) Art and Design – Leeds College of Art
- Masterpieces of World Literature: Fictions of the Modern World – Harvard University (EdX Online)
- The Original Spirit of Western Philosophy – Tsinghua University (EdX Online)
- Shakespeare Matters – Adelaide University (EdX Online)
- Philosophy and Critical Thinking – The University of Queensland (EdX Online)
- Justice – Harvard University (EdX Online)
- Drawing the Brontës (mini solo show) - The Brontë Church, Howarth, UK 2026
- Death & Disaster – Toinen Silma Gallery, Helsinki, FINLAND 2025
- Unknown Pleasures – Surr Gallery Los Angeles, California, USA 2025
- Inevitable Decline – The Betancourt Gallery Miami, USA 2024
- Iconoclasm – Union Gallery, London UK 2023
- DISASTERPIECE – Lychee One Gallery, London UK 2022
- Petrol/Station/Flowers – Lychee One Gallery London 2021
- Aphelion (With Nicholas Norris) – Galerie PJ Metz, France 2024
- Verso (With Lars Hempler) – Lene Bilgrav Aarhus 2023
- Ataraxia (With Rhiannon Salisbury) – Hew Hood Gallery London 2022
- Faded Glory (With Nick JS Thompson) – Book&Job Gallery San Fransisco 2019
- Domestic Relics - Saatchi Gallery x Delphian Gallery - London, UK 2026
- Delphian Open Call winners 2026 – Unit 1 Gallery London 2026
- The Weight of Invisible Spaces (Ngai Ning Yu solo show) – Unit 1 Gallery London 2026
- Live Canvas (Iness Rychlik solo show) – Unit 1 Gallery London 2025
- Delphian Open Call winners 2025 – Unit 1 Gallery London 2025
- The Way of All Flesh – Saatchi Gallery x Delphian Gallery – London, UK 2024
- Papier 2 – Delphian Gallery Helsinki 2024
- Haunted by Paradise (David Gardner solo show) – Wilder Gallery London 2024
- Delphian Open Call winners 2024 – Unit 1 Gallery London 2024
- Twenty Two (Naiomi Boiko-Stapleton solo show) – Unit 1 Gallery London 2024
- Pienet Ilot – Toinen Silma Gallery Helsinki 2024
- Art on a Postcard 10 Year Anniversary (guest curator) – Gathering Gallery London UK 2024
- Ill Met by Moonlight (Georg Wilson solo show) – Delphian Gallery/Artsy 2023
- Papier – Delphian Gallery Charente France 2023
- Delphian Open Call winners 2023 – Unit 1 Gallery London 2023
- Synthesis – Saatchi Gallery London 2022
- The Uncanny Valley (Conor Murgatroyd & Peter Doyle) – The Room London 2022
- Delphian Open Call – Unit 1 Gallery London 2022
- Delphian Residency – La Cour de Husson France 2022
- In Praise Of Darkness – Piermarq Gallery Sidney 2021
- Pulling Faces (Igor Moritz debut UK solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- femininity – Rhiannon Salisbury solo show – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- Following Nature – Una Ursprung solo show – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- Relax, The Universe is Expanding – David Shillinglaw solo show – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- Fatal Shadow and Narcissus (Cathy Tabbakh & Elizabeth Power) – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- Origin – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- Wasteland – Delphian Gallery London 2021
- The Doors Of Perception (Florence Hutchings solo show) – Delphian Gallery Paris 2020
- Antisocial Isolation – The Saatchi Gallery London 2020
- Delphian X Guts – The Factory London 2019
- Habitual Submission (Rhiannon Salisbury) – Delphian Gallery London 2019
- Divergent Motion – Delphian Gallery London 2019
- Open Call – Delphian Gallery London 2019
- A Long Way from Home (Igor Moritz & Kevin Perkins) – Delphian Gallery London 2019
- Some Pieces of Mind (Bertrand Fournier debut UK solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2019
- Open Call – Delphian Gallery London 2019
- Seating Arrangement (Florence Hutchings debut solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2018
- Diary of an Introvert (Jordy Kerwick debut uk solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2018
- Open Call – Delphian Gallery London 2018
- Lost Coast (Carson Lancaster debut UK solo show) – Delphian Gallery London 2018
- Printswap – theprintspace London 2017
- Obscurely Prophetic – Delphian Gallery London 2017
- Relics – BSMT Space London 2016
- Defiance – John The Unicorn Peckham 2016
- The Decline of Conscience – Hundred Years Gallery 2015
- Art on a Postcard 2 – Soho Revue 2015
- Art on a Postcard Moniker – Moniker Art Fair 2015
- Art on a Postcard 1 – Whitfield Fine Art Soho – 2014
- Group Collective Are Kunsts – The Factory Whitechapel – 2013
- Fuck Christmas – Hoxton Gallery – 2012
- CCA Gallery Residency – Mallorca, Spain – 2025
- Bed-Stuy Residency – New York, USA – 2024
- Clovermill Residency (With Matt Macken) – Holland – 2022
- Art OnO art fair – With Jari Lager Gallery Seoul Korea 2025
- Future Fairs art fair – With Youn Contemporary New York USA 2025
- POST/FUTURE – Saatchi Gallery x Delphian Gallery London UK 2025
- Floral Arrangements – Auxier Kline Gallery New York USA 2024
- The Way of All Flesh – The Saatchi Gallery x Delphian Gallery London 2024
- Miracles in December – Youn Contemporary, Toronto Canada 2024
- Art Herning art Fair (with Lene Bilgrav Gallery) – Herning, Denmark 2024
- Art Toronto Art Fair (With Duran Mashaal Gallery) – Toronto Canada 2023
- Art Busan Art Fair (With Jari Lager Gallery) – Busan Korea 2023
- 20 Year Anniversary – Union Gallery – London, UK 2023
- B&W – Duran Mashaal Gallery, Montreal, Canada 2023
- London Art Fair (With Union Gallery) – London, UK 2023
- Summer Showcase – Duran Mashaal Gallery, Montreal, Canada 2023
- FunGalGroUpShow – Sade Gallery LA 2022
- Weeds Won't Wither – Jari Lager Gallery Cologne Germany 2022
- Art Busan Art Fair (With Jari Lager Gallery) – Busan Korea 2022
- Kiaf Art Fair (With Galerie Thomas Schulte) – Seoul Korea 2022
- Daegu Art Fair (With Jari Lager Gallery) – Daegu Korea 2022
- In Praise Of Darkness – Piermarq Sidney, Australia 2021
- Antisocial Isolation – The Saatchi Gallery London, UK 2020 (also curating) 2020-21
- Brindar Con Extraños (curated by Francisco Mendes Moreira) – Trinta Arte Contemporánea, Spain 2020-21
- Online Viewing Room – Pt. 2 Gallery Oakland, USA 2020
For 6 years Benjamin held an academic post at University of the Arts London (LCC) as a Lecturer on IVM MA (Masters Degree). Benjamin is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Authority, as well as holding an MA in Academic Practice.
Speaking venues include: Rosso Arts Academy Shanghai, Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki, Goldsmiths University, Instart Hangzhou China, Camberwell College of Arts, SKD art Beijing, University of Birmingham, The University of Bedfordshire, The Slade School of Fine Art, MaxSpace Academy Beijing, The University of Salford, The University of Brighton, VA International Arts Education China, The Factory/Guts Gallery, Cluster Art Fair, Copeland Gallery, theprintspace, The Churchill War Rooms, Artiq, Loop.gl Art Prize, University of Ravenna, LuxUrban Luxembourg.
- MyMA – August 2023 Guest Judge
- The Loop – 2015 Guest Juror
The Artist’s Roadmap: Practical Strategies for a Career in Art was published by Thames & Hudson in 2026.
Navigating the Art World – Professional Practice for the Early Career Artist was released through Foolscap Editions in Spring 2020.
The play Flowering Desolation was released in 2018.
Benjamin has self-published three poetry collections, which are available on request.
Poetry reading: Bring One Get Words Free – London 2022.
Networking: Finnish Painters Union – Winter Networking Event (invited guest) – Helsinki, Finland 2023.
- FAD Magazine (Online)
- This Is Tomorrow (online)
- AfterNyne Magazine (print and online)
- Assemblage Magazine (online)
- 55 Pages (print and online)
- ArteFuse (online)
- Young Artists in Conversation (online)