About Benjamin Murphy
Benjamin Murphy is a visual artist working in the expanded field of painting. He is interested in art’s ability to communicate complex narratives about our society through contemporary signs and symbols. For him perpetual growth, wealth accumulation, consumption, invention, and our evolving understanding of the physical world are captivating subjects that define our culture. His methods of investigation are not limited to traditional mediums and regularly examine new technologies, integrating them into his artistic practice. Murphy’s most recent projects include a large scale public art commission for the lobby of the National Weather Center. His work has been exhibited at CICA Museum in South Korea, Salle Gilbert-Gaillard Gallery in France, Museum of Art at the University of Southern Mississippi, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norick Art Center, MainSite Contemporary Art, and 3 Square Art Gallery. As an active supporter of the regional art community in Oklahoma, Murphy participates in fundraising initiatives for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, serves on the board of the Oklahoma Art Education Association, and is the Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Oklahoma State University. He holds an MFA from the University of Oklahoma and a BA from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
Artist Statement
I am currently working on a body of work titled Constructed Emotion which explores our evolving understanding of how emotions are made. I was initially inspired by the work of neuroscientist, psychologist, and author Lisa Feldman Barrett. The artworks that I submitted for Digital Soul go beyond our evolving understanding of the human mind and link it to our relationship with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Each of these images was created by taking a photographic self portrait in full profile. Using Adobe Illustrator, I traced these portraits using nodes, transposing the portrait profiles into input cells that link to a Deconvolutional Neural Network, which is a type of network that emulates a biological brain’s frontal lobe.
Each artwork uses a calm portrait profile and one depicting a scream. The two represent the dichotomy that exists within the human/AI relationship. The scream communicates the anxieties derived from our AI fears and ethical concerns associated with the technology’s capabilities. The calm face illustrates the symbiotic potential of a deeply integrated relationship with our new “digital companions”. Here, as in much of my current work, color systems are used to complement this narrative. I think of color in relation to the function of different neurotransmitters used by our nervous system to transmit and amplify information. My work Neural Scream and Self Portrait with Neural Network bring these concepts together in a way that prompts reflection about the benefits and dangers of an AI future. This nascent relationship will inform a cultural ethos that will refashion our conception of the self and soul.
Solo Exhibition
2024 Constructed Emotion, MAINSITE Contemporary Art, Norman, OK
2024 Untitled, Norick Art Center Hall Gallery, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK
2022 Palindromic Repeats, MFA Exhibition, MAINSITE Contemporary Art, Norman, OK
2019 Blue: Works On Paper, Fine Arts Building, Chicago, IL
2018 Abstraction, Orange Wall Art Gallery, Oklahoma State University Student Union, Stillwater, OK
Group Exhibition
International
2023 Breath, CICA Museum, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
2019 We Belong to the Land, Salle Gilbert-Gaillard Gallery, Clermont-Ferrand, France
2014 Abstracts, Colorida Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
Regional and National
2025 Untitled, Melton Gallery, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK (scheduled)
2024 The Big Show, The Art Garage, Green Bay, WI
2024 Whispering Colors, Nut Muse Contemporary online gallery, Dallas, TX
2023 Painting National, Museum of Art/Gallery of Art & Design, Juror: Ken Weathersby, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
2023 Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Member Show, Norick Art Center at Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK
2022 Small Works 2022, Main Street Arts, Juror: Bradley Butler, Clifton Springs, NY
2022 Oklahoma Art Education Association Members Show, Gardiner Gallery of Art at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
2022 NOOBAA: Non-Objective Abstract Art 2022, 3 Square Art Gallery, Juror: Lisa Hatchadoorian, Fort Collins, CO
2022 Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Gardiner Gallery of Art at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
2022 10th Annual National Juried Exhibition, BAAC Gallery, Juror: Kimi Kitada, Batesville, AR
2022 108th Annual SoVA Student Exhibition, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Juror: Jennifer Scanlan University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2021 Painting National, Museum of Art/Gallery of Art & Design, Juror: Susan Palmisano, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
2021 MFA Inclusive Show, Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2021 ONE: Avant-Garde, MAINSITE Contemporary Art, Norman OK
2021 107th Annual SoVA Student Exhibition, Fred Jones Jr. Museum Of Art, Juror: Craig Anderson University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2020 Social Distancing International Virtual Exhibition, Michael Rose Fine Art, Providence, RI
2020 Off Balance, Resonator Institute, Norman, OK
2020 Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Gardiner Gallery of Art at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
2020 106th Annual SoVA Student Exhibition, Lightwell Gallery, Juror: Holly Wilson, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2020 29th Annual Arts! Arts! Arts!, Molly Shi Boren Ballroom, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2019 Blue, Webster Arts Center, Juror: Andrea Pierro, St. Louis, MO
2019 Not To Scale, Resonator Institute, Norman, OK
2019 Environmental Waste, Spotlight Gallery, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2019 MFA Inclusive Show, Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2018 Members Show, The Art Studio, Juror: Christopher Troutman, Beaumont, TX
2017 Sound/Insight, The Art Studio, Beaumont, TX
Neural Scream Position 1
Neural Scream Position 2
Self Portrait with Neural Network