About
Sara Benninga is a contemporary painter focusing on the human figure and narrative.
In her work Benninga constructs paintings dealing with subjects of femininity, sexuality, experience, and psychological tension. Benninga refers to art history, questioning the ways in which narratives have been visually represented.
Benninga also lectures in the Department of Visual and Material Culture at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, as well as in the Department of Art History at Tel Aviv University.
Benninga holds a PhD in art history from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, as well as a BFA from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, a BA in art history and literature from Tel Aviv University and a MA in art history from the Hebrew University.
Benninga has exhibited a number of solo shows as well as group shows:
solo exhibition "In the Hall of the Muses" (2023), Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv;
solo exhibition “Looking Beyond”, Tal Gallery, Kfar Vradim (2022);
solo show “Bacchanal”, Maya Gallery, Tel Aviv (2021);
group exhibition "New Members", Jerusalem Artists House (2023);
duo show "Close", Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem (2023);
double-show “Trickle”, The New Gallery, Jerusalem (2017);
group show “Girotondo”, Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv (2022);
group show “Bloodline: The Artist’s Family”, Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv (2021)
as well as other group shows in Israel.
She has been awarded a young-artist prize from the Print Workshop Jerusalem (2016), and participated in Asylum Arts’ residency in Garrison New York (2018). Her paintings have been featured in several publications.
Sara benninga
Solo Exhibitions
2023: Solo show "In the Hall of the Muses", Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv. Curator: Hadas Glazer.
2023: Duo show "Close", Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem. Curator: Avital Wexler.
2022: Solo show “Looking Beyond”, Tal Gallery, Kfar Vradim. Curator: Ady Greenfeld.
2021: Solo Show “Bacchanal”, Maya Gallery, Tel Aviv.
2019: Artist Wall, Maya Gallery, Tel Aviv.
2017: "Trickle," The New Gallery Artists' Studios, Jerusalem. Curator: Tamar Gispan-Greenberg.
2012: Graduation exhibition, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem. Curators: Joseph Krispel and Yochai Avrahami.
Group Exhibitions
2023: New Members, Jerusalem Artists House. Curated by Meydad Eliyahu.
2022: Girotondo, Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv. Curated by Hadas Glazer.
2021: Bloodline: The Artist’s Family, Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv. Curated by Hadas Glazer.
2021: Draw me a Child, Illustration Week, Tel Aviv. Curated by Tal Frenkel Alroy.
2020: Salon Hacubia, Portraiture exhibition. Curated by Ella Cohen Vansover and Dan Ormian.
2019: Present Occurrences: Winners of the Young Artists Scholarship.
Jerusalem Print Workshop. Curator: Irena Gordon.
2019: “Civilized Jungle”, Gallery of David Yellin Academic College of Education.
Curator: Nava T. Barazani.
2018: Group exhibition at Rosenbach Contemporary Art Gallery, Jerusalem.
2018: Pnina Yuchtman Prize, Rali Museum, Cesaerea. Curator: Uri Rosenwein.
2018: Eclectics, Koresh 14, Jerusalem. Curator: Vered Hadad.
2017: Man’s Man, Jerusalem Biennale. Curators: Porat Salomon and Ronen Yizhaki.
2017: Salon, Hakubia, Jerusalem. Curators: Dan Ormian and Ella Cohen Vansover.
2017: Artist’s Appointment, Manofim, Jerusalem Contemporary Art Festival.
Curator: Hadas Glazer.
2016: Hallway Conversations, The New Gallery, Jerusalem.
Curator: Tamar Gispan-Greenberg.
2016: Barbur 24 hour residency, Jerusalem.
2015: Demons and Ghosts, The New Gallery, Jerusalem. Curator: Hedva Shemesh.
2014: Bread and Roses, Art sale exhibition, Tel Aviv.
Residencies
2018: Asylum Arts Retreat, Garrison, New York.
Prizes and Awards
2016: Young Artists Scholarship, The Jerusalem Print Workshop.
Press
Whitehot Magazine review, Jan Castro Garden, October 2023
Ynet article, Leny Cohen, September 19th, 2023.
Gallery article, Haaretz newspaper, January 18th, 2023.
Featured painting and statement in AJS Perspectives, Fall 2021, pp. 24-25.
Featured painting in Thoughts on Food, Department of Visual and Material Culture, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, 2021.
Cover Image and artist statement, Mantis: A Journal of Poetry, Criticism and Translation,
Stanford University, Issue 19 (2021).
Editor’s Choice, publication of three paintings, Terminal Art Magazine, July 2020,
editor: Rachel Sukman.
Education
PhD. in art history, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (July 2017).
M.A. in art history, Hebrew University, completed “cum laude” (2009).
BFA Bezalel Academy of Art and Design (2012).
B.A. in art history and comparative literature, Tel Aviv University, completed “summa cum laude” (2006).
Work Experience
2018 - present: Lecturer at Tel Aviv University, Art History Department.
2016 - present: Lecturer at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, Visual and Material Culture Department.
