Benjamin Paul Gallagher
1976 Newcastle, Australia
This is what happens when a young man rejects his parents love of heritage restoration, declaring it fussy and over-wrought and in a final act of defiance enrols in a modernist design degree to prove a point. Upon completing said degree, now not so young man needs employment and finds himself working for said father as wait for it, a restoration slate roofer and horror of horrors, he loves the work. The slow progression of hard, repetitive graft offers daily gratification but more unexpectedly he develops a deep connection to and an intense appreciation for old buildings. The filigree, shadow and slow decay of them had him enchanted. Now middle aged man makes art. Modernism and the grid are at its core but the presentation, the process and the material selection are saturated with thoughts of old buildings.
The Wooden City
Observations of our built environment, the way we used to build; the way we build now. I analyse buildings, both old and new. Be they serious and considered or rustic and humble. I find intrigue in the process of their construction, the decisions made on their behalf, on behalf of the culture they inhabit. I take influence and I take head.
Studies in architecture and industrial design, the rigid efficiency of that tutelage set against my working life as a heritage roof slater and copper-smith have enabled me a unique perspective. The charm and romanticism of a Victorian handrail captivates me in equal measure to the form-finish surface a brutalist wall.
With this grounding and a gently absurdist attitude I try to predict through my art how we may build for the future. In most favourable light I am driven conceptually by thoughts of regression. When culture, resources and ideas have run dry, might our best move forward, be taken with a view to the past? To this end, I have developed a fictional construct called ‘The Wooden City’. It’s a modernist beacon and sustainable presence that guides my practice; in turn feeding it ideas whilst informing my aesthetics values. From within, my work offers an austere and efficient resolve for our times. One that utilises traditional craft and trade skills to encompass sculpture, illustration and painting, jewellery, furniture, leather and tableware rendered in materials that will age with grace to endure the centuries that have inspired them.
CV
2022 'Only The Pigeons' solo show at Straightjacket Art Space, Newcastle
2022 'Collect 2022' - View to a Past collage included in annual fundraiser at The Lock-up Contemporary Art Space, Newcastle.
2021 'Collect 2021' - Patterns of Manual Labour drawing included in annual fundraiser group show at The Lock-up Contemporary Art Space, Newcastle
2020 'Works on Paper' - Patterns on Manual Labour drawings included in a group show at Gallery 139, Newcastle NSW
2020 'Collect 2020' - South Facing Roof Moss painting included in annual fundraiser group show at The Lock-up Contemporary Art Space, Newcastle.
2018 ‘HQ’ installation part of a group exhibition, ‘Headquarters’, at Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery.
2018 ‘Church Work’ part of a group exhibition, ‘Wanderings’ at Sheffer Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2018 ‘Mortar Lines’ and ‘Church Work’ part of a group exhibition ‘Drawn Out’ at Gallery 139, Hamilton, NSW.
2016 ‘Intermission’ part of group exhibition - ‘Watching Clouds Pass the Moon’, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery.
2016 ‘Glimmer of Hope’ part of group exhibition - ‘Our Place, Our Space’ John Paynter Gallery, Newcastle
2015 ‘Contemporary Jewellery from the Hunter’ group exhibition, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery
2015 ‘Friends with Benefits: Caring is Sharing’ group exhibition, Deb and Maggie’s Apartment, TINA Festival, Newcastle
2015 ‘By Her Side’ performance, The Lock-up Contemporary Art Space Newcastle
2015 ‘Make Known’ solo exhibition, The Lock-Up Contemporary Art Space, Newcastle
2014 Collaborative design and construction of a new retail space for High Tea With Mrs Woo
2009 ‘Telling Tales’ collection of photos projected in the window of High Tea With Mrs Woo, ‘Paddington Live 09’ Oxford St, Sydney
2009 collaborative design and construction of Sydney retail space for High Tea With Mrs. Woo
2009 ‘The Hunter’ furniture design, group exhibition, ‘Workshopped 09’ Chifley Plaza, Sydney
2008 ‘The Wooden City’ tableware and board game design, group exhibition, ‘Workshopped 08’ Chifley Plaza, Sydney
2008 ‘Springboard 08: entrepreneurship for designers’ mentorship program facilitated by the Australian Design Unit
2007 ‘Butcherboy’ furniture design, group exhibition, ‘Workshopped 07’ QVB, Sydney
2005 collaborative design and construction of Newcastle retail store High Tea With Mrs Woo
Education (tertiary)
2004 BA Industrial Design, University of Newcastle
2008/2011 Foundry Techniques Certificate, TAFE Newcastle
Stockists (Jewellery, leather goods and tableware)
2012/14 - Eastern Market, Melbourne
2013 - Andrew McDonald Shoemakers, Sydney
2015 - High Tea With Mrs Woo, Newcastle
2022 - Studio Melt contemporary jewellery store, Newcastle