Benjamin L. Turner
Benjamin L. Turner works in a variety of media: photography, sculpture, painting, and drawing. The works slip and slide between media, resisting any categorization: In one sculpture, the metal frame from a light-box becomes an armature, holding up photographs and blinking lights; his still-life photographs include his sculptures, and his paintings on paper include photographs. This type of layering is also present in his photography: each photograph is densely stratified with textures and forms, which Turner calls "a dance with chance." .
A large part of Turner's practice centers around creating "happening" style dinners under the name Squamuglia. His work is not far from this aesthetic. In each work he is "organizing a recipe of elements for something oddly beautiful to happen." His titles, also referring to food, are like descriptive menu choices. He calls them "poetic visual riddles. When seen together, Turner's works are echo-chamber of repeating forms and colors.
Exhibitions
Born in Winchester, MA
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, 2005
SOLO EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS
2025 Sauce Fool - restaurant performance collaboration with Nathan Ellefson - TBD Los Angeles, CA
2024 Elevated Ristretto Stutter, Babst Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Earth no Patio x Crossed Wires (podcast), NTS Radio
2019 MIND JUGZ PRETZEL - restaurant performance, “Squamuglia”, Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
2018-2025 Earth no Patio - experimental audio piece distributed as a podcast
2018 TWIDDLERZ DE-Lite, performance, “Squamuglia” Michael Benevento Gallery, LA, CA
2018 Dog Mom - restaurant performance, “Squamuglia” Chinatown, LA, CA
2017 NIRVANA WIZZ - restaurant performance, “Squamuglia” Filipinotown, LA, CA
2016 Phaidon Worried - Central Park Gallery, LA, CA
2014-2016 SQUAMUGLIA - bi-weekly cafe performance, Filipinotown, LA, CA
2014 Freitagsküche - restaurant performance, “Squamuglia” Frankfurt, Germany
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Hisssss, Los Angeles, CA
2024 All Together Now, Studio A1, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Bar PWuaTZo - bar performance, “Squamuglia” Filipinotown, LA, CA
2017 bArFoso - bar performance (July), “Squamuglia” Filipinotown, LA, CA
2017 BArFo so - bar performance (May), “Squamuglia” Filipinotown, LA, CA
2016 Ooga Booga Bongo Music, 356 Mission, “Squamuglia” LA, CA
2014 Stratosphere - John and Marion Frye Collection, Las Vegas, NV
2013 Sunkist Sunset - performance with Neal Reinalda, Sunset Blvd. Home Depot, LA, CA
2011 Freshly Squeezed - Penthouse Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2008-2011 Sometimes - a biweekly discreet dining series, Baltimore, MD
BIBLIOGRPAHY
2024 Preson Zappas, Lindsay, "Benjamin L. Turner at Babst Gallery," KCRW
2020 Interview on the “Modern Bar Cart podcast,” Episode 148, hosted by Eric Kozlik
2017 Lippman, Alexandra. “Squamuglia,” PAID, MIT Press, 2017, p. 97-115
2016 Adler, Chris, “Benjamin Turner at Central Park” Contemporary Art Review, LA (CARLA)
2009 Wexler, Laura “Dining on The Down Low," Baltimore Style Magazine, p. 120-123