1975 Born in Mazamet, France
Lives and works Montpellier and Paris, France
Resumé
Abdelkader Benchamma imposes constraints upon his process to create delicately executed and dynamic drawings of states of matter. His drawings take their inspiration from visual scenarios that stem from reflections on space and its physical reality, its limits and its zones of contact with mental space. They operate with diversions, modulating objects to testify of possible malfunctions in our relationship with the other and with things. Shifting of reality, intrusion of the invisible, indeterminate matters undergoing transformation, minuscule catastrophes are at the heart of Benchamma’s work.
Inspired by many different thought processes, that go from science to esotericism, from literature to history of art, the artist creates artworks with uncertain boundaries, and whose movement destabilises the visitor by playing namely with the codes of figuration and abstraction. These organic ensembles can make us think of landscapes, not in the traditional sense of the term but more because the flow they outline brings to mind the movement of natural elements, like air, clouds, earth, space. Often using black and white for its simplicity and graphic strength, the artist develops a language through which he gets the visitor to doubt of the reality of his/her perception, by making him/her penetrate into unstable, dynamic and elusive worlds. Moving matter that enveloped us at the Drawing Centre in New York (2015-2016), a cave animated by a furious circular vortex at the Sharjah Biennial (2017), these installations, that one could call metaphysical, question our relationship to what is imperceptible, infinite and invisible. His works were also included in Future of a Promise, a Pan Arab exhibition during the 54th Venice Biennale, Told / Untold / Retold at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, and Constantine, Capital of Arab Culture festival in Algeria. Recipient of the Paris-based The Drawing Now Prize, he was also nominated for the Le Meurice Prize in 2015. In 2018, he presented a solo exhibition at the CENTQUATRE-PARIS.
EDUCATION
2003 — École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, France 2000 — École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Montpellier, France
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2026
- Sign and Wonders, TEMPLON, Paris, France
- Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló (EACC), Castelló de la Plana, Spain
2024
- Landscape of the Fall, Het Noordbrabants Museum (HNBM), 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
2023
- Solastalgia: Archaeologies of Loss, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada
- Œuvre croisée, Librairie des Colonnes, Tangier, Morocco
- Géologie des déluges, Fondation François Schneider, Wattwiller, France
- Cosma, TEMPLON, Paris, France
2022
- Abdelkader Benchamma, Église Sant'Euno, in partnership with the Palazzo Butera residency, supported by the Institut français, Palermo, Italy
2021
- Rayon fossile, Collection Lambert, Avignon, France
2020
- Signes, TEMPLON, Brussels, Belgium
2019
- Symétrie et soupirs, In Situ: Art Contemporain et Patrimoine, Abbaye de Lagrasse, Lagrasse, France
- Abdelkader Benchamma: Fata Bromosa, MRAC, Sérignan, France
- Engramme, TEMPLON, Paris, France
- Rumeur des cercles, Galerie les Chantiers Boite Noire, Montpellier, France
- Un artiste, une œuvre, Fondation Hélénis private commission, Montpellier, France
2018
- L'horizon des évènements, CENTQUATRE, Paris, France
- Echos de la Naissance des Mondes, Collège des Bernardins, on the occasion of Nuit Blanche, Paris, France
2017
- Sous la terre, des étoiles, Art Kulte, Rabat, Morocco
2016
- Abdelkader Benchamma, Islands, Maison du livre de l'image et du son, Villeurbanne, France
- The Great Invisible Battle, The Blueproject Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- The Unbearable Likeness, Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Dubai, UAE
- Curiosité & Merveilles, Christie's, Paris, France
2015
- Abdelkader Benchamma: Representation of Dark Matter, The Stairway Project, The Wall Drawing Commission, The Drawing Center, New York, USA
- Random, FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
2014
- Le soleil comme une plaque d'argent mat, Carré Sainte-Anne, Montpellier, France
- Simulacrum, Gallery agnès b., New York, USA
2013
- Le soleil comme une plaque d'argent, Galerie St-Séverin, Paris, France
- Abdelkader Benchamma, Wizard Gallery (formerly Gallery Federico Luger), Milan, Italy
- The Invention of the Cave, Gallery agnès b., Hong Kong, China
2012
- Corrupted Theories, Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Dubai, UAE
2011
- Le signal faible, ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain
- Dark Matter, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
- La ligne de base du hasard, Galerie Chantiers Boite Noire, Montpellier, France
2009
- The Apparent Stability of Things, Galerie Chantiers Boite Noire, Montpellier, France
- All these masses are just pieces from the same... — Wizard Gallery (formerly Gallery Federico Luger), Milan, Italy
2008
- Même les choses invisibles se cachent. Part 2 — CAC, Istres, France
- Même les choses invisibles se cachent. Part 1 — ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain
- Abdelkader Benchamma, Centre d'art contemporain La galerie, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
2007
- Abdelkader Benchamma, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
- They think that once they are here, it will be..., Galerie agnès b., Hong Kong, China
2005
- Incidents Invisibles, Project Room, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2026
- La vie climatique. Histoires sensibles des collections privées — Triennale De leur temps #8, in partnership with ADIAF, Musée d'art contemporain [mac], Marseille, France
- L'École des beaux-arts de Montpellier: une histoire singulière, in partnership with the Musée Fabre, MO.CO., Montpellier, France
2025
- And All That Is In Between, Islamic Arts Biennale, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Apocalypse Hier et demain, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France
- Lire le ciel, Mucem, Marseille, France
2024
- Au bord des mondes, Prix Marcel Duchamp, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
- Le jour des peintres, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
- Cosmography, Templon, New York, USA
- Les lois de l'imaginaire, FRAC Auvergne in collaboration with the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie, Aurillac, France
- Tempesta, Wizard Gallery, Milan, Italy. With: Bruna Esposito, Fausto Gilberti, Ignazio Moncada, Attila Szűcs, Federico Luger, Juan Muñoz, Alighiero Boetti, Diango Hernández
2023
- Prendre le soleil, Hangar Y, Meudon, France
- Capítulo IV: Historia, Lago/Algo, Mexico City, Mexico
- Metro! Le Grand Paris en mouvement, Cité de l'architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris, France
- Histoire de Pierres, Villa Médicis, Rome, Italy
- Constellations, Musée d'art moderne, Céret, France
- Immortelle, MO.CO., Montpellier, France
2022
- Ce que nous avons perdu dans le feu, Villa Arson, Nice, France
2021
- Comics Trip!, Collection Lambert, Avignon, France
- Un autre monde///Dans notre monde, Lieu-commun artist run space, Toulouse, France
2020
- Un autre monde///dans notre monde, FRAC Grand Large — Hauts-de-France, Dunkirk, France
- Artistes à la Une: Togeth'HER 2021, Monnaie de Paris, Paris, France
2019
- Un autre monde///Dans notre monde, FRAC PACA, Marseille, France
- Eldorama, Eldorado, Lille3000, Le Tripostal, Lille, France
- Syncopation, Pola Museum of Art, Hakone, Japan
- 100 artistes dans la ville, Montpellier, France
2018
- Melancholia, Fondation Boghossian, Brussels, Belgium
- (Un)conscious: A series of small serendipities, Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Dubai, UAE
2017
- On aime l'art...!, Éric Mézil, Collection agnès b., Fondation Yvon Lambert, Avignon, France
- Tamawuj, Sharjah Biennial 13, Sharjah, UAE
- EcoSystème, Château d'Oiron, France
- Monts et Merveilles, Le Bel Ordinaire, Pau, France
2016
- Épreuves uniques, Atelier Michael Woolworth, Paris, France
- Le nom d'une île, Le Pavillon Blanc, Printemps de septembre de Toulouse, Colomiers, France
- A quoi tient la beauté des étreintes, FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Se souvenir des Belles Choses, Sérignan, France
2015
- Aide-mémoire: footnotes (Part II), Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
- Un regard sur la collection d'agnès b., LAM, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
- Traits d'esprit, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
- Après avoir tout oublié, Asterides — Friche Belle de mai, Marseille, France
- ROC, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
- Nice Drawings, Galerie Isabelle Van den Eynde, Dubai, UAE
2014
- Enigme au Club de la Compagnie, Centre d'art le LAIT, Albi, France
- Dans ma cellule, une silhouette, La Ferme du Buisson, Noisiel, France
2013
- Chromophobia, Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde, Dubai, UAE
- Turbulences II — Espace culturel Louis Vuitton / Fondation Boghossian, Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium
- The Immigrants, Giudecca — 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. Curated by Wizard Gallery (formerly Federico Luger) and Pasquale Lecese. With: Abdelkader Benchamma, Alighiero Boetti, Igor Eškinja, Franklin Evans, Jacob Hashimoto, Radhika Khimji, Gianni Pettena, Luca Pozzi, Giovanni Rizzoli, Richard Prince, Santiago Sierra, Traslochi Emotivi
- Paper Trail, The Barjeel Foundation, Katara, Doha, Qatar
2012
- Collectionner aujourd'hui, Collection Philippe Piguet, Centre d'art contemporain, Saint-Restitut, France
- The Island/A Game of Life, Manarat al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2011
- The Future of a Promise, Lina Lazaar, 54th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
- Music Covers!, Point Ephémère, Paris, France
2010
- Told/Untold/Retold, Sam Bardouil and Till Fellrat, MATHAF, Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
- Biennale d'art contemporain Le Havre 2010, Musée Maritime, Le Havre, France
- Reading Room, Nomas Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Fabula Graphica, Grandes Galeries des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, France
2009
- Memory Time, Printemps de Septembre, Là où je vais je suis déjà, Espace des arts, Colomiers, France
- Cadavres exquis — Printemps de Septembre — Fondation Espace Ecureuil, Toulouse, France
- Comic Strip, Musée d'art contemporain, Sérignan, France
2008
- La dégelée Rabelais, Château d'O, FRAC Languedoc Roussillon, Montpellier, France
- Paperless Marks, ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain
- Narrations, Galerie Nancy Margolis, New York, USA
2007
- Explosions, Nouvelles acquisitions, FRAC Languedoc Roussillon, Montpellier, France
- Below the light — Wizard Gallery (formerly Gallery Federico Luger), Milan, Italy
- Pas un jour sans une ligne, Collections St-Cyprien, Saint-Cyprien, France
- Drawings and Dreamings, ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain
2006
- Nous nous sommes tant aimés, Collections de St-Cyprien, Saint-Cyprien, France
- A. Benchamma / A. Biasuto, Galerie Chantiers Boite Noire, Montpellier, France
- Drawn, Xpace Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2005
- Do-Ka, La Condition Publique, Roubaix, France
2004
- Draw!, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
- Dessin? — Carré St Anne, Montpellier, France
2003
- Biennale des jeunes créateurs d'Europe, Carré Sainte-Anne, Montpellier, France
2001
- Dessins en cours..., ENSBA, Quai Malaquais, Paris, France
PUBLICATIONS
2021 — Rayon Fossile, Actes Sud, Paris, France
2014 — Le soleil comme une plaque d'argent mat, Lienart Editions & Carré Sainte-Anne, Paris, France
2011 — Dark Matter, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
2005 — C'est ici que l'on met les titres, galerie du jour agnès b., Paris, France
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS (SELECTION)
- Grand Paris Express, permanent installation at Mairie de Vitry-sur-Seine station in collaboration with the architecture firm King Kong, Paris, France
- Musée régional d'art contemporain, Sérignan, France
- FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- MATHAF, Arab Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Doha, Qatar
- FRAC Corse, Corte, France
- FRAC Occitanie Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- DRAC Centre, Orléans, France
- FRAC Languedoc Roussillon, Montpellier, France
- Musée des Beaux-Arts, Orléans, France
- Barjeel Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
RESIDENCIES (SELECTION)
2026 — Villa Albertine, New York, USA
2018–2019 — Villa Médicis, Rome, Italy
2017 — Beirut Art Residency (BAR), Beirut, Lebanon
2016 — a.r.i.a Residency, Algiers, Algeria
AWARDS AND PRIZES
2024 — Finalist, Prix Marcel Duchamp, Paris, France
2018 — Prix Occitanie-Médicis, France
2015 — Prix Drawing Now, Paris, France
2015 — Prix Art Collector, France