
Thursday 31 March – 16 April 2022
PALFREY is thrilled to present a wild practice – a solo exhibition by Tom Benson. The exhibition takes its title from these words of Gertrude Stein:
A practice, no practice is careless, a loud practice, no practice is silent, a wild practice, no practice perfect.
The exhibition traverses a variety of materials and media, which address a shared commitment to the activation of looking. In Benson’s words:
My work lays emphasis on the temporal and political potential of looking and is in a primary sense a meditation upon seeing. I’m interested in the manifold focus of perception that painting offers, and how its material and phenomenal qualities can be used to create a space for contemplative engagement.
Tom Benson was born in London, where he studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He currently lives in London. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as ICA, London; James Hockey Gallery, Farnham; Las Vegas Art Museum, Nevada, USA; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, USA; The Field Institute, Raketenstation, Insel Hombroich, Neuss, Germany; Kunstverein Oberhausen, Germany; Stiftung für Konkrete Kunst, Reutlingen, Germany; Kunstraum Alexander Bürkle, Freiburg, Germany.


paint, aluminium components, steel pins, aluminium panel
60 x 40 x 2 cm

paint, aluminium components, steel pins, aluminium panel
60 x 40 x 2 cm


wax crayon, colour pencil and magic marker on paper
work: 13.5 x 10 cm
framed: 51 x 41 x 2 cm

epoxy paint on aluminium panel, steel pins
45 x 30 x 0.1 cm



c type print
print: 40 x 30 cm
framed: 71 x 51 x 2 cm
edition of 3
photography: Damian Griffiths
© PALFREY 2022