Biography

Inspired by cosmology, science fiction and existentialist theatre and literature, Abdelkader Benchamma uses varied techniques and media to explore the constructed aspect of reality. In his drawings of states of matter, events explode off pages or walls, animated by his fusing of techniques from printing, engraving, landscape and scientific drawing.

Benchamma’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at La Maison du livre, de l’image et du son, Villeurbanne, France (2016); Blueproject Foundation, Barcelona (2016); The Drawing Center, New York (2015-2016) and FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France (2015), among others. His work has also been exhibited in group shows at Sharjah Biennial 13 (work commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation) (2017); Château d’Oiron, France (2017); MRAC, Sérignan, France (2016); Boghossian Foundation, Villa Empain, Brussels (2013) and 54th and 55th Venice Biennales (2011, 2013). His works can be found in the public collections of FRAC Auvergne; FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Orléans and Artotheque de Pessac, France.

He received the DRAWING NOW Award (2015) and was nominated for Le Meurice Prize (2015). His work is included in the publication Vitamin D: New Perspectives on Drawing (Phaidon), a global survey of contemporary drawing.

Benchamma studied fine art at l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Montpellier and l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris. Born in 1975 in Mazamet, France, he currently lives and works in Paris and Montpellier, France.

This person was part of Sharjah Biennial 13.

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