Sara Benninga

Israeli, b. 1983

Focusing on the exploration of the tension between various visual elements like figures and patterns, dynamics and interplay, Sara Benninga seeks to examine how these components contribute to the narrative within an artwork, and whether such a narrative even exists. Her canvases depict complex scenes featuring multiple figures engaged in dance or physical interactions. Benninga works in large scale as well as lower scale, in diverse mediums of painting, and drawing from varied sources of inspiration, she asks how images and forms are linked to content. She draws inspiration from a blend of sources, including art history, direct observation, and her own imagination, creating a mixture that prompts viewers to question and contemplate the events portrayed on the canvas.

Benninga's artistic influences span different eras in art history, encompassing classical, neo-classical, and contemporary artists such as George Baselitz, Dana Schutz, and Alice Neel. Benninga has held solo exhibitions at Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv; Maya Gallery, Tel Aviv; and Tal Gallery, Kfar Vradim. She has also participated in a duo exhibition at the Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem and numerous group exhibitions.

Sara Benninga is an art history lecturer at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in art history from the Hebrew University (2017), a BFA from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design (2012), an MA in art history from the Hebrew University (2009), and a BA in art history and literature from Tel Aviv University (2006).

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