Benjamin Merritt -- I'll Speak in Delicate Tongues

2022
Watercolor monotype, aquatint, etching (framed)
Unique
27.5 x 21 inches

DESCRIPTION:
For the artist, the process of printmaking is deeply related to his experience of living with a chronic illness. According to Merritt, “The print is a metaphor for continual healing, its morphing physicality a reflection of the body.” The artist works from copperplate etchings, scraping away the copper to transpose a long history of gestures and marks on to the final print. His practice serves as a vehicle to think through his body, tracing it through layers of marks and poetry to create a communal, reflective space for what it means to be sick.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Benjamin Merritt (b. 1997 in Simpsonville, South Carolina) graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2019. Merritt has attended residencies at the Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency in Saugatuck, Michigan, the Jerome Emerging Artist Residency at the Anderson Center (2021) in Red Wing, Minnesota, Spudnik Press in Chicago and the Jerome Emerging Printmakers Residency at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis. He is the recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Individuals (2021) which helped fund the production of Merritt’s artist book, A feather plucked from its bird. His work has been included in several group exhibitions including at the International Print Center, New York, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis, and the Northern Illinois University Art Museum, Dekalb, among other venues.