Seth P. Benzel’s artworks. LEFT: Grandeur. Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in. MIDDLE: Deconstructed #5. Acrylic, paper on canvas, 16 x 12 in. RIGHT: S-3. Acrylic, paper on canvas, 40 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist.

American artist Seth P. Benzel is one of the most distinctive figures in contemporary abstract painting, working between New York, Dubai, and Florida, where he also runs and curates his own space, 8th Ave Gallery. In his practice, a deconstructive approach bringing both the “ground” and successive painterly layers to the surface turns the canvas into an open system that resists any fixed final statement and instead acts as a point of departure for new ways of seeing.
 

Benzel describes painting as a space of continual becoming: his linear structures echo architecture, while free, chromatic passages channel the energy of the surrounding spiritual environment, as much as natural, held in a state of constant flux. This visual language unfolds both in intimate exhibition projects in New York, Ocala, and across Europe, and in large-scale series such as “Deconstructing Self,” where questions of identity and perception are articulated through fragmentation, pauses, and deliberately “unfinished”.

Seth P. Benzel, Arch-Energy. Acrylic, paper, spray paint on canvas, 59 x 47 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Today, we speak with Mr. Benzel about his artistic language, international career, and his thoughts on the role of art in today’s society.
 

Julia Smolenkova: Mr. Benzel, you work in layers, and every layer you apply is significant: from the initial underpainting layer to the finishing touches. Your painting is multi-level, spatial, and deep. What emotions, concepts, and experiences inspired you to develop such a unique, original, and complex technique?
 

Seth Benzel: I believe that each layer of a painting is like the chapter of a story, so I believe in building from back to front. The first layers are the first part of the story, then you move into the middle layers, which develops more of the story, and then you have the final story that’s completed in the last layers. Within that, there are many reactions, but I don’t think thought is necessarily part of it. It’s more about an intuitive reaction to how the layers interact with themselves and how they tell a broader story.

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