Martin Benson is a visual artist, podcast host, art educator, and explorer of consciousness. Through his artistic practice, he explores ways to express questions about deeper levels of reality. Inspired by sacred geometry and esoteric symbolism, his paintings embody his own contemplative practices and the experiences within them. Reconciling the tension between the earthly and the transcendent, his pieces act as visual koans for both the artist and the viewer.

Martin is also the host of the Podcast “Concerning The Spiritual In Art” where he dialogues with other artists from across the globe around topics related to spirituality, consciousness, and the creative process. Benson received his MFA from the University of New Orleans and his BA at the University of Southern California. Martin also is a yoga and meditation teacher at Wild Lotus Yoga in New Orleans.

Martin has exhibited in shows all over the United States. He has had his work exhibited at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Contemporary Arts Center (LA), the New Orleans Museum of Art, amongst others. Benson’s works are in many private collections as well as in the permanent collections of the New Orleans Hillel Center, New Orleans Children’s Hospital, New York Presbyterian, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the University Medical Center, New Orleans.

Artist Statement

I make artworks that embody my own contemplative practices and the experiences I have within them. These experiences have lead me to discover that we are all just like a rainbow; beautiful, present, and yet at the same time a figment within the universal mind. This is why the rainbow spectrum is a repeated symbol in my latest body of work. I use the rainbow as a way to point to the transcendent and the ineffable, while at the same time seeking to ground the paintings in something familiar and earthly. This is where the horizon lines and atmospheric elements come into play. My work is almost a longing for a future where we can bridge heaven and earth. It depicts a space of hope and of love and a deeply personal expression of the energy I feel in my heart.

Through the study of sacred geometry and esoteric symbolism, coupled with a committed spiritual practice, I am finding my own way of expressing this feeling. Within all of my work is a longing to understand, to question, and uncover a deep authenticity that is unimpeachable. I am a seeker at heart and my art is an extension of that seeking. It’s a way for me to build a bridge to a deeper spiritual center, which I pray transforms into an authentic channel for love, beauty, and positive energy. This is what motivates me to keep working on myself and keep creating art, to be of service in some small way to other peoples spiritual journey. 

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