About
Ben lives and works in the Northern Rivers region (Bundjalung Country) of N.S.W. Australia.
He has won the 2015 and 2010 Waverley Art Prize, the Mosman Emerging Artist Award and the Odd Nerdrum Self Portrait Competition. He has been a finalist in more than 50 established art prizes across Australia, including the Archibald Prize (2024, 2018) the Doug Moran Portrait Prize (2009, 2010) and the Sulman Prize (2010, 2011).
Ben has exhibited in Seoul, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal and New York.
In 2012 Ben painted Nick Cave for the Archibald Portrait Prize. In 2019 he was commission by Nick to paint a portrait for his exhibition “Stranger than Kindness” and for the cover of the companion book.
Ben is represented by Nanda Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney.
CV
Born
1977
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Love over Strife, Nanda Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney
2017 Threshold, Nanda Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney
2013 Flux, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne
2011 Personal Mythologies, Dickerson Gallery, Sydney
2009 Anthropomorphic Works, Dickerson Gallery, Sydney
2007 Bird Paintings, Dickerson Gallery, Sydney
Joint Exhibitions
2011 Yanni Floros and Ben Smith, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne
International Group Exhibitions
2021Stranger than Kindness” curated by Nick Cave. Galarie de Maison, Montreal, Canada
2020 “Stranger than Kindness” curated by Nick Cave, Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen, Denmark
2016 “The Moleskine Project” Spoke Art, San San Francisco, USA
2014 “A Touch of Realism” Galleri Kirk, Alborg, Denmark
2012 “Taboo” Copro Gallery, New York, USA
2011 ”Together in Harmony” Noori and Arum Gallery in Korea Foundation Centre, Seoul, Korea
2011“Dark Waters” Santa Monica, California, USA
Selected Awards and Prizes
2024 Finalist in the Archibald Prize
2018 Finalist in the Archibald Prize
2016 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize
2016 Selected for the Salon de Refuses
2016 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2016 Finalist in the Fischer’s Ghost Art Prize
2016 Finalist in the Warringah Art Prize
2015 Highly Commended in the KAAF Art Prize
2015 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize
2015 Winner of the Waverley Art Prize (Open Prize)
2015 Winner of the Waverley Art Prize (Oil Painting Section)
2015 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2014 Selected for Salon de Refuses’
2014 Semi-Finalist Doug Moran Prize
2013 Selected for the Salon de Refuses’
2013 Finalist in the Calleen Art Prize
2013 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2013 Finalist in the Waverley Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Metro Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2012 Selected for the Salon de Refuses
2012 Finalist in the Waverley Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
2012 Semi Finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2012 Finalist in the Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize
2011 Finalist in the Stan and Maureen Duke Prize
2011 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2011 Finalist in the Metro Art Award
2011 Finalist in the Sulman Prize
2011 Selected for the Salon de Refuses
2011 Finalist in the Hunters Hill Art Prize
2011 Finalist in the City of Albany Art Prize
2011 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2011 Finalist Waverley Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Sulman Prize
2010 Winner of the Waverley Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2010 Winner of the Mosman Emerging Artist Award
2010 Finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2010 Winner of the Odd Nerdrum Self Portrait Prize
2010 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
2010 Finalist in the Redland Art Award
2010 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Stanthorpe Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2009 Finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2009 Finalist in the Prometheus Art Prize
2009 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2009 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
2005 Finalist in the Hills Grammar Art Prize
2003 Finalist in the Alice Bale Traveling Scholarship
2002 Winner of the Richard and Wenda Ashton Prize
2001 Winner of the Brett Whiteley Scholarship at the Julian Ashton Art School
Selected Publications
2020 Spectrum Magazine (cover image) Sydney Morning Herald
2013 Menendez D; ‘Ben Smith’ Poets and Artists Magazine, Charleston, USA
2012 Schmidt S; ‘Judaism in Pop Culture’ Spex Magazine, Berlin, Germany
2012 Meacham S; ‘A Big day for…Cave Men’; Sydney Morning Herald
2012 Meacham S; ‘Discarded Cave Men’; Sydney Morning Herald
2011 Elliot T; ‘Why Artist’s want to be in the picture so much’; Sydney Morning Herald
2009 Anderson, P; ‘Australian Art Review’; Westwick-Farrow
Collections
Waverley Council
Artistic Training
2000 – 2004 The Julian Ashton Art School
Teaching
2002- 2013 The Julian Ashton Art School
He has won the 2015 and 2010 Waverley Art Prize, the Mosman Emerging Artist Award and the Odd Nerdrum Self Portrait Competition. He has been a finalist in more than 50 established art prizes across Australia, including the Archibald Prize (2024, 2018) the Doug Moran Portrait Prize (2009, 2010) and the Sulman Prize (2010, 2011).
Ben has exhibited in Seoul, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal and New York.
In 2012 Ben painted Nick Cave for the Archibald Portrait Prize. In 2019 he was commission by Nick to paint a portrait for his exhibition “Stranger than Kindness” and for the cover of the companion book.
Ben is represented by Nanda Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney.
CV
Born
1977
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Love over Strife, Nanda Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney
2017 Threshold, Nanda Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney
2013 Flux, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne
2011 Personal Mythologies, Dickerson Gallery, Sydney
2009 Anthropomorphic Works, Dickerson Gallery, Sydney
2007 Bird Paintings, Dickerson Gallery, Sydney
Joint Exhibitions
2011 Yanni Floros and Ben Smith, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne
International Group Exhibitions
2021Stranger than Kindness” curated by Nick Cave. Galarie de Maison, Montreal, Canada
2020 “Stranger than Kindness” curated by Nick Cave, Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen, Denmark
2016 “The Moleskine Project” Spoke Art, San San Francisco, USA
2014 “A Touch of Realism” Galleri Kirk, Alborg, Denmark
2012 “Taboo” Copro Gallery, New York, USA
2011 ”Together in Harmony” Noori and Arum Gallery in Korea Foundation Centre, Seoul, Korea
2011“Dark Waters” Santa Monica, California, USA
Selected Awards and Prizes
2024 Finalist in the Archibald Prize
2018 Finalist in the Archibald Prize
2016 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize
2016 Selected for the Salon de Refuses
2016 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2016 Finalist in the Fischer’s Ghost Art Prize
2016 Finalist in the Warringah Art Prize
2015 Highly Commended in the KAAF Art Prize
2015 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize
2015 Winner of the Waverley Art Prize (Open Prize)
2015 Winner of the Waverley Art Prize (Oil Painting Section)
2015 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2014 Selected for Salon de Refuses’
2014 Semi-Finalist Doug Moran Prize
2013 Selected for the Salon de Refuses’
2013 Finalist in the Calleen Art Prize
2013 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2013 Finalist in the Waverley Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Metro Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2012 Selected for the Salon de Refuses
2012 Finalist in the Waverley Art Prize
2012 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
2012 Semi Finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2012 Finalist in the Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize
2011 Finalist in the Stan and Maureen Duke Prize
2011 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2011 Finalist in the Metro Art Award
2011 Finalist in the Sulman Prize
2011 Selected for the Salon de Refuses
2011 Finalist in the Hunters Hill Art Prize
2011 Finalist in the City of Albany Art Prize
2011 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2011 Finalist Waverley Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Sulman Prize
2010 Winner of the Waverley Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize
2010 Winner of the Mosman Emerging Artist Award
2010 Finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2010 Winner of the Odd Nerdrum Self Portrait Prize
2010 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
2010 Finalist in the Redland Art Award
2010 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Stanthorpe Art Prize
2010 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2009 Finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize
2009 Finalist in the Prometheus Art Prize
2009 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2009 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award
2005 Finalist in the Hills Grammar Art Prize
2003 Finalist in the Alice Bale Traveling Scholarship
2002 Winner of the Richard and Wenda Ashton Prize
2001 Winner of the Brett Whiteley Scholarship at the Julian Ashton Art School
Selected Publications
2020 Spectrum Magazine (cover image) Sydney Morning Herald
2013 Menendez D; ‘Ben Smith’ Poets and Artists Magazine, Charleston, USA
2012 Schmidt S; ‘Judaism in Pop Culture’ Spex Magazine, Berlin, Germany
2012 Meacham S; ‘A Big day for…Cave Men’; Sydney Morning Herald
2012 Meacham S; ‘Discarded Cave Men’; Sydney Morning Herald
2011 Elliot T; ‘Why Artist’s want to be in the picture so much’; Sydney Morning Herald
2009 Anderson, P; ‘Australian Art Review’; Westwick-Farrow
Collections
Waverley Council
Artistic Training
2000 – 2004 The Julian Ashton Art School
Teaching
2002- 2013 The Julian Ashton Art School