BENICH LEUSCHKE

Beniah Leuschke received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1998 with a major in Photography and New Media. Currently a studio resident at Review Studios, Leuschke has presented solo exhibitions in Kansas City at Review Exhibition Space (Suburban Stunt Double, 2006), and at telephonebooth gallery (Nowhere now Here, 2005; dumb mobs bomb mud, 2004; and Dictator tot, 2002.) His work has also been featured at Bridge Art Fair, Miami (2007) and the Stray Show, Chicago (2004), as well as in group exhibitions at Fahrenheit gallery, Kansas City; The Bank, Kansas City; and Max Gatov Gallery, University of California at Long Beach. Leuschke, whose mixed media work spans sculpture, assemblage, painting and drawing, and is often interactive, completed a temporary public art commission for the Avenue of the Arts Foundation in 2005. Running throughout the artist’s work is an interest in language, including a frequent use of palindromes -- as titles, text that appears in the work itself, and as visual and conceptual inspiration. Regarding Leuschke’s selection for the Award this year, Awards Advisor Gregory Volk said: “He’s racheted up the visual power of his strange sculptures...Palindromes and wordplay are especially apt right now during wartime.” Lynne Cooke further noted, “It really speaks to the bombardment of spin we’re getting.” from Charlott Street Blog