Heather Benjamin’s New Strangeness Bloom, now on view at Olympia in NYC, explores the complexities of womanhood by surreal, symbol-filled work. Drawing from her background in zine-making, Benjamin blends mythology, reminiscence and self-exploration into dreamlike desert landscapes.
Her figures, half deity and half drifter, navigate barren worlds the place unusual flowers thrive underneath electrical skies. These blooms, each actual and symbolic, signify resilience in harsh environments. Impressed by Surrealism and outsider artwork, Benjamin’s work mixes the uncooked and the fantastical: floating lovers, cryptic phrases on cowboy hats and butterflies rising from shattered mirrors.
Referencing Diane di Prima’s Loba, the exhibition reimagines femininity by a warped Americana lens. Parts like polished claws, crushed cockroaches and shifting realities problem conventional myths of womanhood. The exhibition is on view by March 29.
Olympia
41 Orchard St.
New York, NY 10002
