BEN DARRAH
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Darrah uses found imagery of flora and fauna (and the tools we use to engage with our
environment) in combination with painted abstract grounds to suggest narratives about
(Canadian) identity, environment and sense of place. Darrah has always been concerned with the interplay of colour and mark-making, and he particularly focuses on subtle, and not-so subtle, colour combinations that are both evocative and beautiful.

Darrah started exploring graffiti techniques in the 1980’s. He was interested in the casual
immediacy of the graffiti mark and the expressively worn patina of the walls that provide the substrate for graffiti artists. To echo this surface he applies thin layers of paint mixed with acrylic gel and masked off with imperfect registration so that there is the ghost record of previous layers.

Biography - Selected
Darrah is a Kingston-based artist. He was born in London, England, and immigrated to
Canada with his family in 1968. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and graduated with a BFA
from the University of Alberta in 1987 and earned a Master of Fine Art at the University of
Windsor in 1995.

Darrah has worked as an art dealer, curator, freelance writer, and taught art at Queen’s
University, St. Lawrence College, and White Mountain Academy. He is currently an
elementary teacher with the Limestone District School Board and maintains a studio in
Glenburnie, Ontario. His work can be found in private and public collections in North America and Europe.

Ben Darrah - CURRICULUM VITAE

Education
Bachelor of Education, 2008
Queen’s University
Kingston, Ontario - primary, junior and intermediate qualifications

Master of Fine Arts Degree, 1995 specializing in painting
University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, 1987 specializing in sculpture
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta

Selected Exhibitions ~ Solo
2020 “Landmarks” ~ Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield, Ontario
2018 “Found Spaces” ~ verb Gallery, Kingston, On.
2015 “Askew” ~ Newburgh Gallery, Clarke Art & Projects, Newburgh, On.
2014 “Home is Where the Art is” ~ 276 Wellington Street, Kingston, On.
2014 “Accidental Landscape” ~ Kingston Temporary Public Art Project, Kingston, On.
2012 “About Ptuj” ~ ART STAYS 2012 10th Festival of Contemporary Art, Ptuj, Slovenia
2011 “Small Works” ~ Dwell, Kingston, On.
2010 “Record” ~ Mill Street Gallery, Sydenham, On.
2009 “Lost and Found” ~ Gallery at 129 Ossington, Toronto, On.
2008 “Frontier” ~ Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre, Haliburton, On.
2008 “Disruptive Pattern” ~ Gallery at 129 Ossington, Toronto, On.
2006 “Sense of Place” ~ Gallery at 129 Ossington, Toronto, On.
2005 “Threshold” ~ verb Gallery, Kingston, On.
2005 “Panel: Cabinet of Secret Desires” ~ Sarah Beveridge Contemporary, Barrie, On.
2004 “The Space Between” ~ The Swamp Ward Window Project, Kingston, On.
2004 “Present” ~ The Upstairs Gallery, Kingston, On.
2002 “PLACE” ~ verb Gallery, Kingston, On.
1997 “Vicinity” ~ James Allen Fine Art, Toronto, On.
1996 “Thinking of Clouds” ~ Alternative Grounds, Toronto, On.
1995 “At Play” ~ Common Ground Gallery, Windsor, On.
1995 “A Qualified Statement” ~ School of Visual Art, Windsor, On.
1994 “Canons Park Series” ~ Art Noise, Kingston, On.
1992 “Fuenté Studio Series” ~ The Book Shop Gallery, Kingston, On.

Selected Exhibitions ~ Group
2022 "Unity Road Four" featuring the works of Mark Laundry, Ann Clarke, Mark Birksted, and Ben Darrah, The Window Art Gallery, Kingston School of Art, Kingston, On.
2022 "Canada 2 Four" Featuring Kurt Swinghammer and Ben Darrah, Hatch Gallery, Bloomfield, On.
2020 “Unity Four” featuring the work of the Unity Road Studio Group, The Window Art
Gallery, Kingston School of Art, Kingston, On.
2018. “Ace 40th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition” The Studio Gallery, Queen’s University,
Kingston, On.
2017 “Annual Juried Exhibition” The Studio Gallery, Queen’s University, Kingston, On.
2016 “DIG” Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, On.
2015 “Citizen-Vox” Studio 22, Kingston, On.
2014 “Local-Locale-Contemporary” Clarke Art & Projects, Newburgh, On.
2014 “Another Space Gallery” 16th Annual Juried Members’ Exhibition, Modern Fuel
Artist Run Centre, Kingston, On.
2013 “Home Is Where The Art Is” Annual Members’ Show & Sale, Modern Fuel
Artist-Run Centre, Kingston, On.
2013 “Wish You Were Here – Interventions into Landscape” Union Gallery, Queen’s
University, Kingston, On.
2012 North American Pavilion, ART STAYS 2012 10th Festival of Contemporary Art,
Ptuj, Slovenia
2012 “I Am Water” ~ Window Art Gallery, Kingston, On.
2011 “Tis the Season” ~ SB Contemporary Art, Windsor, On.
2009 “Conflux” ~ Union Gallery, Queen’s University, Kingston, On.
2009 “Breaking Ground: Contemporary Landscapes” ~ The Art Gallery of
Peterborough, Peterborough, On.
2009 “EEE – 5 Kingston Artists” ~ The Wilson Room, Kingston Frontenac Public
Library, Kingston, On.
2008 “Washi Summit” ~ Gallery at 129 Ossington, Toronto, On.
2008 “The Quiet Child” ~ The Studio Gallery, Queen’s University, Kingston, On.
2007 “Post Camp” ~ Ben Darrah and Shelly Bahl Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre,
Kingston, On.

2007 “20 x 20” ~ Galerie Sandra Goldie, Montreal, Quebec
2006 “Toque Baroque” Ben Darrah and Paul Walde, McLaren Art Centre, Barrie, On.
2006 “Toque Baroque” Ben Darrah and Paul Walde, W.K.P. Kennedy Gallery,
North Bay, On.
2005 “The Seventh Regional Juried Exhibition” Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre,
Kingston, On. - Juror – Andy Fabo
2005 “Making Marks” Sarah Beveridge Contemporary Art, Barrie, On.
2004 “December Small Works” Upstairs Gallery, Kingston, On.
2004 “The Sixth Regional Juried Exhibition”
Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, Kingston, On. - Juror – Lois Andison
2004 Ben Darrah and Andrea Dodwell, Gallery Café, Kingston, On.
2003 “Kingston Insights Project” Kingston Arts Council Community Arts Project
Agnes Etherington Arts Centre, Kingston, On.
2003 KAC Juried Art Salon, Wilson Room, Kingston, On.
2001 “December Group Show: Works on Paper” Fran Hill Gallery, Toronto, On.
2001 “Out of the Studio” White Mountain Academy Gallery, Elliot Lake, On.
2001 “North of 17” Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre, Elliot Lake, On.
2001 “Feel the Warmth” Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre, Elliot Lake, On.
1997 “Hinterland” (an exhibition on shared cultural identity curated by Ben Darrah)
Artcite Inc., Windsor, On.
1995 “Ten” Edward Day Gallery, Kingston, On.
1994 “Site/Unseen” Gallery B312, Montreal, Quebec
1994 “Southwest Biennial” Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, On.
guest juror: Jessica Bradley
1994 “Opening Titles” School of Visual Arts, Lebel Building Gallery, Windsor, On.

Residencies
2012 ART STAYS 2012 10th Festival of Contemporary Art, Ptuj, Slovenia

Curating
2005 “Tom Cummings (TC) – Gananoque Roots”
Arthur Child Heritage Museum, Gananoque, On.
2004 “Tom Cummings Retrospective” ~ St. Lawrence College Gallery, Kingston, On.
1997 “Hinterland” ~ Artcite Inc., Windsor, On.

Writing on Art
“Absence of Light – New Installation by Don Maynard” (Spring 2007) Canadian Art Magazine
Bi-weekly art reviews (March 2003 – May 2005) for the Kingston Whig Standard
Regular contributor (2002-03) for the online magazine, Arts Business Exchange

Bibliography
Olivia Loncar-Bartolini, “Art Outside the Journal,” The Queen’s Journal, Vol 142, Issue 1,
May 27, 2014
Gary Michael Dault, “Gallery Going,” The Globe and Mail, December 19, 2009 p.R13
David McCallum, “Talk About The Kingston Prize,” aired on “The Source” on TVCOGECO,
May 21 & 22, 2009
Gary Michael Dault, “Gallery Going,” The Globe and Mail, February 9, 2008 p.R20
Greg Burliuk, “Take a summer trip beyond camp to challenge your senses,” The Ticket,
Kingston Whig Standard, June 16, 2007 pp 8-9
Gary Michael Dault, “Gallery Going,” The Globe and Mail, December 23, 2007 p.R15
Lyn Rees Lambert, “New Exhibition by Ben Darrah goes up at verb,” Kingston This Week,
(Kingston) July 12, 2005
Julia Mensink, “The Gallery That Could,” The Queen’s Journal, (Kingston) November 22, 2002
Melanie Dugan, “Artspaces,” The Kingston Whig Standard (Kingston), Nov. 23, 2002
Michele Casey, “Arts Focus,” Kingston This Week,(Kingston) November 12, 2002
Jack Liang, “You Are Here: Some Thoughts on Hinterland.” Hinterland Catalogue, 1997
Mark Sinnett, “ON HINTERLAND.” Hinterland Catalogue, 1997
Peter Christie, “Art Scapes.” The Kingston Whig Standard (Kingston), January 27, 1992

Selected Teaching and related Experience
2008 – present Teacher, Primary, Junior and Intermediate levels, Limestone District
School Board
2012 – 2013 Mentor: Limestone Learning Foundation Crystal Ball Gala, Kingston, On.
2009 – 2011 Mentor: Artshift Mentor Project – Union Gallery, Queen’s University,
Kingston, On.
2008 – 2016 Instructor: Painting – Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University,
Kingston, On.
2006 – 2007 Advisory Committee Member, Union Gallery, Queen’s University,
Kingston, On.
2003 – 2011 Instructor: Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Business for Artists -
St. Lawrence College, Kingston, On.
2003 – 2005 Instructor: Business for Artists workshops – Queen’s University,
Kingston, On.
2003 – 2005 Steering Committee Member: Kingston Prize for Contemporary Portrait
Painting – Kingston, On.
2004 Adjunct Professor: BFA Foundation Sculpture – Queen’s University,
Kingston, On.
2003 Project Manager: Welcoming Diversity – Kingston Arts Council,
Kingston, On.
2000 – 2002 Professor: Business for Artists, Drawing, 4th Year Seminar, Student
Gallery Director, Curriculum Development, Arts Business Incubator –
White Mountain Academy of the Arts, Elliot Lake, On.
1997 – 2000 Manager: Gallery One, Toronto, On.

Panelist/Lecture
2012 Divining Meaning - Artist Talk – ART STAYS 2012, Ptuj, Slovenia
2006 The West Wind – Directions in Canadian Landscape Painting – Nipissing
University, North Bay, On. - With Corinna Ghaznavi, Paul Walde and Dennis Geden
2005 Exporting Art Workshop, KEDCO, Kingston, On.
2003 Kingston Insights Project Panelist with Kathleen Sellars, Mitch Shewell, Deborah
Brown, Sandra Jass, Jocelyn Purdie, Clark Mackey, Alana Kapell, York Lethbridge and
Jill Battson
2003 Artist Talk – Queen’s University, Kingston, On.

Awards/Grants
2009 OAC (Ontario Arts Council) Exhibition Assistance
2007 OAC Project Grant for Visual Artists
2006 OAC Exhibition Assistance
2005 OAC Exhibition Assistance

Collections
Darrah’s work can be found in private collections in Canada, U.S.A., Australia, Germany, Spain, Sweden,  England, and Slovenia.
Ben Darrah  © 2022
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