ARTIST STATEMENT 2025
The concepts of “here” and “there” have long intrigued me—particularly what allows us to feel rooted in a space as our “here,” or perceive it as a detached, distant “there.” In an age of instant digital access, we can see almost any place at any time, yet this constant exposure can quickly lead to fragmentation, disorientation, and a loss of context. We are more connected than ever, but often less present.
What draws us into a particular place, while leaving us indifferent to others? How does physical presence activate our senses and shape our perception differently than observing from afar? And as we attempt to bridge the distance between here and there, what nuances, textures, or histories are lost?
These questions are central to the works in this exhibition, all of which are rooted in the urban landscape of Los Angeles—a city that constantly straddles the line between permanence and flux, memory and reinvention. I am drawn to its layered visual language: where decay and vitality, history and speculation, coexist and collide. Through mark-making, layering, and image manipulation, I explore these tensions by combining multiple perspectives into unified, abstracted compositions. The resulting spaces often feel both familiar and unfamiliar suggesting a place that is not singular or fixed, but shifting, observed, and reimagined.
In blurring the lines between here and there, presence and distance, the work invites viewers to consider their own ways of engaging with place—and how memory, technology, and attention shape what we choose to see.
The concepts of “here” and “there” have long intrigued me—particularly what allows us to feel rooted in a space as our “here,” or perceive it as a detached, distant “there.” In an age of instant digital access, we can see almost any place at any time, yet this constant exposure can quickly lead to fragmentation, disorientation, and a loss of context. We are more connected than ever, but often less present.
What draws us into a particular place, while leaving us indifferent to others? How does physical presence activate our senses and shape our perception differently than observing from afar? And as we attempt to bridge the distance between here and there, what nuances, textures, or histories are lost?
These questions are central to the works in this exhibition, all of which are rooted in the urban landscape of Los Angeles—a city that constantly straddles the line between permanence and flux, memory and reinvention. I am drawn to its layered visual language: where decay and vitality, history and speculation, coexist and collide. Through mark-making, layering, and image manipulation, I explore these tensions by combining multiple perspectives into unified, abstracted compositions. The resulting spaces often feel both familiar and unfamiliar suggesting a place that is not singular or fixed, but shifting, observed, and reimagined.
In blurring the lines between here and there, presence and distance, the work invites viewers to consider their own ways of engaging with place—and how memory, technology, and attention shape what we choose to see.
BIOGRAPHY
Ben Schwab grew up in the Midwest and currently lives and works in upstate New York. He earned his MFA in Painting from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Ben’s work has been featured in gallery and university exhibitions throughout the United States and Canada. His work is in the permanent collections of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Barkan Companies, Sheraton (Denver), Hub50House, Brandywine Realty Trust, Courier Corporation, TMA Systems, The Windsor Companies, and Hancock Whitney Bank.
Ben Schwab grew up in the Midwest and currently lives and works in upstate New York. He earned his MFA in Painting from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Ben’s work has been featured in gallery and university exhibitions throughout the United States and Canada. His work is in the permanent collections of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Barkan Companies, Sheraton (Denver), Hub50House, Brandywine Realty Trust, Courier Corporation, TMA Systems, The Windsor Companies, and Hancock Whitney Bank.
RESUME
EDUCATION
2005 Master of Fine Arts, Painting
Indiana University; Bloomington, Indiana- Studied under the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship
2001 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting
Missouri State University; Springfield, Missouri
SELECTED SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2025 Here and There: Los Angeles, Solo Exhibition, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Here and There, Solo Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2018 Invisible Cities, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Getting Here From There, Solo Exhibition, St. Joseph's University Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 A Place You've Never Been, CFEVA Alumni Solo Exhibition, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA
2017 Vantage Point: Ben Schwab + James Thatcher, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Main Gallery, Troy, NY
2016 In Praise Of Shadows, Solo Exhibition, Wilson Art Gallery, Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY
2010 Ben Schwab & Keith Sandman, PrattMWP Arts Institute, School of Art Gallery, Utica, NY
2009 Ben Schwab & Blake Shirley, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY
2009 Graphite, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2009 ALB to NRT: Ben Schwab, University of Rochester, The Gallery at the Art & Music Library, Rochester, NY
2008 ALB to NRT: Ben Schwab, Siena College, Yates Gallery, Loudonville, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Spring Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Winter Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Fall Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Charmed: Group Exhibition, Merritt Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2024 Art on Paper Fair New York, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 L.A.ndscape: The Cityscape Show XIV, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Spring Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2023 Small, But Mighty: Invitational, Curated by Susan Blackman and Susan Aurinko, Addiington Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2023 The Cityscape Show XIII, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Fall Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2022 The Cityscape Show XII, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Blue, Black and White: An Exhibition In Color, Merritt Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2022 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2021 Fall Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2021 The Cityscape Show XI, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2020 The Cityscape Show X: Concrete and Earth, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Gallery Artists: Recent Work, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Good Things Come on Small Canvases, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Winter Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2020 Art Palm Springs, George Billis Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2019 Remixed Environments: Graeme Duncan, Noelle Phares, Ben Schwab & Philip Tarlow, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
2019 Momentum, Space Annex, Denver, CO
2019 Fall Salon, Space Annex, Denver, CO
2019 Fall Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2019 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2019 Art Palm Springs, George Billis Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2018 The Cityscape Show VIII, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 The Rail Park Benefit Fundraiser, The Rail Park, Philadelphia, PA, Curated by Bridgett Mayer, Director, Bridgette Mayer Gallery
2018 Art Palm Springs, George Billis Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2017 City In Motion: Valerio D’Ospina, Scott Noel and Ben Schwab, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 Small Works, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Curated by Bill Carroll
2017 9th National Juried Exhibition, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY, Juror Stuart Shils
2017 The Cityscape Show VII, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY, Juror Michael Oatman, Associate Professor, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute
2016 The Cityscape Show VI, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2015 The Cityscape Show V, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Industrial Beauty, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Between the Boroughs, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2014 The Cityscape Show IV, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 New Directions ‘13, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY; Juror Susan Sayre Batton, Managing Director, Dia, Beacon, NY
2012 The Cityscape Show II, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2011 The Cityscape Show, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2011 Drawing, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Considering the City, Work • Detroit Gallery, University of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan; Curator Charlie Michels
2010 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY; Juror Rackstraw Downes
2009 Drawing From Perception VI, Wright State University, Dayton, OH; Juror Ruth Miller, New York Studio School
COLLECTIONS
Oak View Group, Denver, Colorado
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Tampa, Florida
HUB International, Chicago, Illinois
Strategic Hotels, Chicago, Illinois
Federal Capital Partners, Washington, D.C.
Capital One/MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Hub50House, Boston, Massachusetts
Sheraton Hotel, Denver, Colorado
Mass General Brigham, Somerville, Massachusetts
Barkan Companies, Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hancock Whitney Bank, Houston, Texas
First Atlantic, LLC, Boston, Massachusetts
The Windsor Companies, Clifton Park, New York
Brandywine Realty Trust, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courier Corporation, North Chelmsford, Massachusetts
TMA Systems, Tulsa, Oklahoma
SELECTED FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS & AWARDS
2024 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Pollock-Krasner Foundation
2015 Residency Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center
2011 Best In Show Award, Annual National Juried Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, Virginia; Juror George Billis of George Billis Gallery, New York
2009 Juror’s Award, Drawing from Perception VI, Wright State University-Dayton, Ohio; Juror Ruth Miller
2009 Strategic Opportunity Stipend (SOS Grant), New York Foundation for the Arts and The Arts Center of the Capital Region-Troy, New York
2007 Finalist: The William and Dorothy Yeck Award
2007 9th Annual Miami University Young Painters Competition 2008, Miami University, Heistand Gallery; Juror Peter Plagens
2005-2006 Career Development Program Fellowship, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (formerly Creative Artist Network)-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2002-2005 Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D. C.; During 2003-2004 studied and traveled abroad under the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship in Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands and France
RESIDENCIES
2015 Vermont Studio Center
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2024 American Art Collector, Multiple Realities, National Magazine, October, p. 108
2017 Times Union, ‘Konstruct’ Exhibit Displays Power of Assemblage, Albany, New York Newspaper, August, Preview Section
2017 Times Union, Two Painters In Troy Exhibit Offer Study In Visual Contrast, Albany, New York Newspaper, March, Preview Section
2016 Times Union, Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region, Albany, New York; Newspaper, December, Arts Section
2010 Times Union, Artist Ben Schwab Finds Inspiration In Architecture, Albany, New York Newspaper, July, Arts Section
2007 Philadelphia Inquirer, Young Talents, Mature Display, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper, February, Arts Section
2006 Philadelphia Inquirer, Come on In, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper, July, Arts Section
2005 American Artist Magazine, National Magazine, October, p. 10
SELECTED LECTURES
2017 Gallery Talk, St. Joseph’s University Art Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2017 Gallery Talk, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Main Gallery, Troy, New York
2010 Slide Lecture, PrattMWP Arts Institute, Utica, New York
2008 Slide Lecture, Siena College, Loudonville, New York
2005 Master of Fine Arts, Painting
Indiana University; Bloomington, Indiana- Studied under the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship
2001 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting
Missouri State University; Springfield, Missouri
SELECTED SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2025 Here and There: Los Angeles, Solo Exhibition, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Here and There, Solo Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2018 Invisible Cities, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Getting Here From There, Solo Exhibition, St. Joseph's University Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 A Place You've Never Been, CFEVA Alumni Solo Exhibition, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA
2017 Vantage Point: Ben Schwab + James Thatcher, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Main Gallery, Troy, NY
2016 In Praise Of Shadows, Solo Exhibition, Wilson Art Gallery, Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY
2010 Ben Schwab & Keith Sandman, PrattMWP Arts Institute, School of Art Gallery, Utica, NY
2009 Ben Schwab & Blake Shirley, Albany Center Gallery, Albany, NY
2009 Graphite, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2009 ALB to NRT: Ben Schwab, University of Rochester, The Gallery at the Art & Music Library, Rochester, NY
2008 ALB to NRT: Ben Schwab, Siena College, Yates Gallery, Loudonville, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Spring Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Winter Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Fall Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Charmed: Group Exhibition, Merritt Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2024 Art on Paper Fair New York, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2024 L.A.ndscape: The Cityscape Show XIV, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Spring Group Exhibition, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2023 Small, But Mighty: Invitational, Curated by Susan Blackman and Susan Aurinko, Addiington Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2023 The Cityscape Show XIII, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Fall Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2022 The Cityscape Show XII, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Blue, Black and White: An Exhibition In Color, Merritt Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2022 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2021 Fall Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2021 The Cityscape Show XI, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2020 The Cityscape Show X: Concrete and Earth, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Gallery Artists: Recent Work, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Good Things Come on Small Canvases, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Winter Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2020 Art Palm Springs, George Billis Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2019 Remixed Environments: Graeme Duncan, Noelle Phares, Ben Schwab & Philip Tarlow, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
2019 Momentum, Space Annex, Denver, CO
2019 Fall Salon, Space Annex, Denver, CO
2019 Fall Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2019 Spring Group Exhibition, Dean Day Gallery, Houston, TX
2019 Art Palm Springs, George Billis Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2018 The Cityscape Show VIII, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 The Rail Park Benefit Fundraiser, The Rail Park, Philadelphia, PA, Curated by Bridgett Mayer, Director, Bridgette Mayer Gallery
2018 Art Palm Springs, George Billis Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
2017 City In Motion: Valerio D’Ospina, Scott Noel and Ben Schwab, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 Small Works, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Curated by Bill Carroll
2017 9th National Juried Exhibition, Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY, Juror Stuart Shils
2017 The Cityscape Show VII, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY, Juror Michael Oatman, Associate Professor, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute
2016 The Cityscape Show VI, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2015 The Cityscape Show V, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Industrial Beauty, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Between the Boroughs, George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
2014 The Cityscape Show IV, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 New Directions ‘13, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY; Juror Susan Sayre Batton, Managing Director, Dia, Beacon, NY
2012 The Cityscape Show II, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2011 The Cityscape Show, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA
2011 Drawing, Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2010 Considering the City, Work • Detroit Gallery, University of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan; Curator Charlie Michels
2010 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY; Juror Rackstraw Downes
2009 Drawing From Perception VI, Wright State University, Dayton, OH; Juror Ruth Miller, New York Studio School
COLLECTIONS
Oak View Group, Denver, Colorado
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Tampa, Florida
HUB International, Chicago, Illinois
Strategic Hotels, Chicago, Illinois
Federal Capital Partners, Washington, D.C.
Capital One/MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Hub50House, Boston, Massachusetts
Sheraton Hotel, Denver, Colorado
Mass General Brigham, Somerville, Massachusetts
Barkan Companies, Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hancock Whitney Bank, Houston, Texas
First Atlantic, LLC, Boston, Massachusetts
The Windsor Companies, Clifton Park, New York
Brandywine Realty Trust, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courier Corporation, North Chelmsford, Massachusetts
TMA Systems, Tulsa, Oklahoma
SELECTED FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS & AWARDS
2024 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Pollock-Krasner Foundation
2015 Residency Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center
2011 Best In Show Award, Annual National Juried Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, Virginia; Juror George Billis of George Billis Gallery, New York
2009 Juror’s Award, Drawing from Perception VI, Wright State University-Dayton, Ohio; Juror Ruth Miller
2009 Strategic Opportunity Stipend (SOS Grant), New York Foundation for the Arts and The Arts Center of the Capital Region-Troy, New York
2007 Finalist: The William and Dorothy Yeck Award
2007 9th Annual Miami University Young Painters Competition 2008, Miami University, Heistand Gallery; Juror Peter Plagens
2005-2006 Career Development Program Fellowship, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (formerly Creative Artist Network)-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2002-2005 Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D. C.; During 2003-2004 studied and traveled abroad under the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship in Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands and France
RESIDENCIES
2015 Vermont Studio Center
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2024 American Art Collector, Multiple Realities, National Magazine, October, p. 108
2017 Times Union, ‘Konstruct’ Exhibit Displays Power of Assemblage, Albany, New York Newspaper, August, Preview Section
2017 Times Union, Two Painters In Troy Exhibit Offer Study In Visual Contrast, Albany, New York Newspaper, March, Preview Section
2016 Times Union, Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region, Albany, New York; Newspaper, December, Arts Section
2010 Times Union, Artist Ben Schwab Finds Inspiration In Architecture, Albany, New York Newspaper, July, Arts Section
2007 Philadelphia Inquirer, Young Talents, Mature Display, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper, February, Arts Section
2006 Philadelphia Inquirer, Come on In, Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper, July, Arts Section
2005 American Artist Magazine, National Magazine, October, p. 10
SELECTED LECTURES
2017 Gallery Talk, St. Joseph’s University Art Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2017 Gallery Talk, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Main Gallery, Troy, New York
2010 Slide Lecture, PrattMWP Arts Institute, Utica, New York
2008 Slide Lecture, Siena College, Loudonville, New York