Benedict Scheuer: Laughing Upon the Stretch of a Swooping Line

Benedict Scheuer’s (he/him) artistic practice holds sensation to the chest, expanding drawing as an instrument for spiritual connection between the body and that which exists outside of it. Recent exhibitions include solo presentations at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, No Place Gallery, and Belle Isle Viewing Room; group presentations at the Pizutti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art and the Akron Art Museum. Scheuer received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Yale (2014) and an MFA in Visual Art from the Ohio State University (2020). He currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.

BENEDICT SCHEUER: LAUGHING UPON THE STRETCH OF A SWOOPING LINE

April 29–May 30, 2023

Foreland Studios, Catskill, NY

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 4–6pm 

For the gallery’s second presentation at Foreland, Abattoir will exhibit the work of interdisciplinary artist, Benedict Scheuer. His introspective drawings invite us to witness his ongoing mental and spiritual exploration; through a unique visual language, glimpses of understanding and belonging emerge. His drawings on silk will be hung freeform on the gallery walls complimented by framed drawings on paper. With a heightened sensitivity and focus on line, these pieces include motifs from the gardens that he tends, his meditative practice and the birds that have become a signature of his work. These lines transform symbol into a personal spirituality that is as vibrant and lyrical as it is raw and improvisational. 
Scheuer lives and works in Columbus, OH. He received his BA from Yale in Environmental Studies, and his MFA from The Ohio State University. Recently, he was an exhibiting artist in FRONT International at the Akron Art Museum. Other exhibitions include No Place Gallery (Columbus), the Pizutti Collection (Columbus), and the Belle Isle Viewing Room (Detroit). 

The exhibition title comes from a journal entry in which Scheuer describes a recent day working in the studio. “…The silk feels radiant, powerful, wise—not contrived, earnest, gentle, kind. Quietly confident. As I came to it from a morning spent in dedication to its birth, I began with an idea of what it may become. However, as I began to draw, a vision of succinct clarity and directness began to float as a ghost between my eyes and the taut silk. At first, I questioned it. This feels unfamiliar. Perhaps a trick. That which would take me astray. I felt taken aback. In disbelief. Yet, the vision compelled something within me to follow it. I have been practicing an openness to the miracle of drawing—this was a force beyond my understanding. And, as I followed it, I fell in love with it. Laughing upon the stretch of a swooping line. Smiling. Experience of bliss, confidence, excitement."

Benedict Scheuer, April 8th, 2023