Holding Space, by Millie Benson This new collection of paintings is inspired by outer space and the ways we try to see it more closely, by imagining it, and imaging it. These paintings are of planets, stars and moons, but are small enough to be held in your hands. I began them in 2022, around the time of the summer solstice, intending to show them in December, around the time of the winter solstice. Humans have always tracked changes in the sky, the paths of the sun and the moon, and considered what these changes meant to them. The summer is a time of light and renewal. The winter is a time of darkness, but also a time to remember that the light will come again when days begin to get longer. For many ancient cultures the solstices were the two times of year when the sun “stood still,” offering a glimpse into timelessness. The sun was seen to die during the winter solstice, and fires were lit to keep the sun alive. These paintings are like those fires, brought from summer t...

    Millie Benson b. Cleveland, Ohio Lives and works in Brooklyn, New York Education Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH  Master of Fine Arts, Hunter College, New York, NY     Solo Exhibitions 2022 Holding Space, Vorderzimmer Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 2019 Soul Retrieval, The Women’s Darkroom +Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 2019 Physica: A Solo Exhibition Featuring Millie Benson, Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Artsy.com  2000 Millie Benson Recent Paintings, Rome Arts, Brooklyn, NY     Selected Exhibitions 2022 Open House New York 2022, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Building 77, Brooklyn, NY 2022 Small Works for Big Change: Online Exhibition and Charity Fundraiser, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, NY 2022 Art and Artists for Ukraine: Curated by Alicia Degener, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY  2021 Small Works for Big Change: Online Exhibition and Charity Fundraiser, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, NY 2021 At...