Isabella Benshimol Toro

1994 Caracas, Venezuela. Lives and works in London.

My current practice draws from performance to photography into sculpture and installation. I work primarily with used clothing, epoxy resin, silicone, and other domestic or personal found objects. My work seeks to freeze in time ephemeral actions, gestures, and sensations of everyday domestic life. I am interested in using resin to freeze in time a moment or an action in the same way a photograph does. In my practice, I take these everyday intimate actions as a starting point and re-enact, sculpt, and edit them to create with and from them a series of fossils or monuments to the unconscious. Ofter teething between something that appears unusual yet bodily familiar, clean or dirty, pleasant and discomforting.

Web design & Code

Upcoming

2024 Surface Tension, curated by Anastasia Chugunova, Des Bains, London, UK

2024 TBC (solo exhibition), ZERUI, London, UK

2024 TBC (group exhibition) Triangolo, Cremona, Italy

2025 TBC (solo exhibition) PLATABANDA, Caracas, Venezuela

Education

2018-2020 MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK

2012-2016 BA Visual Arts (Cum Laude), Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA), Milan, Italy

2010 Summer pre-college program, RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), Providence, US

Selected Solo / Duo Exhibitions

2024 Paloma Wool x Isabella Benshimol, Solo presentation, via fatebenefratelli 5, Milan, Italy

2024 Sketches (solo exhibition), curated by Mathilde Friis and Gonzalo Herrero, (site-specific)11 Grosvenor Place, London, UK

2023 Culebras and WC Sketches, Cornershop x Minor Attractions with ZERUI, London, UK

2017 I Know You Are Collecting a Lot of Light with Ugo Martinez Lázaro, Estudio Beneficencia, Madrid, Spain

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024 Re-Framing Material Culture (group exhibition), curated by STANDARD404, Frappant e.V. gallerie, Hamburg, Germany 

2023 The Sundown of Disquiet, co-curated by Domenico de Chirico, ZERUI, London, UK

2022 Everything I do could be done differently, piloto pardo, hosted by Cecilia Brunson Projects, London, UK

2022 Autorretratos, Próxima, Hacienda la Trinidad, Caracas, Venezuela

2022 SEX, Moarain House, London, UK

2021  Me and my friends, part 2, Korai, Nicosia, Cyprus

2021 Descripción de un Estado Físico, Galería Elba Benitez, Madrid, Spain

2021 El Dormitorio, curated by Esther Merinero and Vera Martín, CCCC Centro del Carme Cultura Contemporánea, Valencia, Spain

2021 Reconfigured, curated by Rose Easton, Timothy Taylor Gallery, New York, US

2021 Claro del Bosque, Intersticio, Madrid, Spain

2020 Goldsmiths MFA Degree Show, Ben Pimlott Building, Goldsmiths University, London, UK

2020 London Grads Now, curated by Januario Jano, Saatchi Gallery, London UK 

2020 Un gesto que permanece, curated by Vera Martin, Salón, Madrid, Spain 

2020 Heterotopia, curated by Felice Moramarco, Oen gallery, Kabelvåg, Norway 

2020 Pou sou nefko peu paeis, Korai, Nicosia, Cyprus

2019 The one that’s always there, the one that came late, the one that never arrived, the one that wasn’t invited, SB34-The Pool, Brussels, Belgium

2019 Solo show, curated by Casa Antillón, Casabanchel, Madrid, Spain

2019 Interim Show MFA Goldsmiths, Deptford studios, London, UK

2019 Ni sí, ni no; ni blanco, ni negro, curated by Archipiélago, Madrid, Spain

2019 Long Live The New Flesh, The Biscuit Factory, London, UK

2019 Mater Matter, curated by Valeria Biamonti, Via San Primo 4, Milan, Italy

2019 Baldea, curated by Esther Merinero and Vera Martín, Calle Islas Británicas 5 Madrid, Spain

2019 Casa Antillón, curated by Casa Antillón, Madrid, Spain 

2018 Archipiélago, Former British Embassy in Madrid, Madrid, Spain

2017 Mediterranea 17 Biennale, EXOTIC EMBASSY with Mati Jhurry, Tirana, Albania

2016 Como era gostoso o meu francês, curated by Marlon de Azambuja and Maya Saravia, Espacio OTR, Madrid, Spain

2016 Aviso di Garanzia, Fuori Uso, curated by Giacinto di Pietrantonio, Pescara, Italy

2015 Theatre of Learning, Reinterpretation of Waltz by Joan Jonas in collaboration with Mati Jhurry, curated by Marco Scotini, NABA, Milan, Italy

Residencies / Awards

2024 Spring Residency at Good Eye Projects, London UK

2022 Rupert Residency, Vilnius, Lithuania

2020 Shortlisted artist VIA Arts Prize 2020 Finalists’ Exhibition

2020 Residency at The New Artist, online platform, London, UK

2017 Sculpture summer residency, SVA, New York, USA

2017 Honour Mention at Mediterranea 17 Biennale – with Mati Jhurry, Tirana, Albania

2017 Residency at HANGAR Centro de Investigacão Artística, Lisbon, Portugal

2016 Residency at Affect at Agora (Conglomerate), Berlin, Germany 

2016 Residency at Spazio /77, Milan, Italy

2015 Selected artist at Showcase Villaggio d’Artista, Villa Giulia, Verbania, Italy

Press

March 2022 – Elephant Magazine  – ‘Elephant’s pick of March’s Essential Artists’

Jan 2022 – AD Spain – ‘Descripción de un Estado Físico’ at Galeria Elba Benitez 

July 2021 – AD Spain – ‘El Dormitorio’ at CCCC Centro del Carme Cultura Contemporánea

May 2021 – Wallpaper – ‘Reconfigured’ at Timothy Taylor NY

May 2021 – Art Viewer – ‘Claro del Bosque’ at Intersticio

Sept 2017 – Interview with Sink.sexy