Ben Fernandez
My recent solo exhibition in the studio bay at Visceglia Arts Center at Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey, on view from Monday, December 9—Sunday, December 16, 2024.
A group exhibition at the Mueller Gallery at Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey, for which I curated and organized all aspects. The show features the work of alumni and students from the Iota Epsilon chapter of Kappa Pi at Caldwell. As an alumnus of Kappa Pi, I am among the twelve exhibiting artists. The exhibition is on view from Wednesday, February 5—Saturday, March 1, 2025.
In the summer of 2024, I wrote an essay that was published in the catalog for artist Nick Lamia's solo exhibition, "Special Dust", which was on view at the Mueller Gallery At Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey that fall. The catalog was published following the installation of the show.
My recent solo exhibition in the studio bay at Visceglia Arts Center at Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey, on view from Monday, December 9—Sunday, December 16, 2024.
Ben Fernandez (b. 2001) is a mixed media artist based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He graduated summa cum laude from Caldwell University with a B.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in mixed media, and a minor in Art History.
The numerous art awards that he has received include a full scholarship to attend classes at The Kubert School in Dover, N.J. (2016-17), a first-place state award in logo design for Future Business Leaders of America (2019), and a second-place state award in Digital Art presented at the New Jersey State House in Trenton (2019).​
In August 2019, at 18 years old, Fernandez participated in his first studio residency and group gallery exhibition through the Sol Studio program at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, N.J. His work was purchased by--and currently resides at--ESKFF (Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation) NEST, an artist retreat center in Woodstock, New York.
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Since the fall of 2021, Fernandez's work has additionally been featured in solo exhibitions, as well as group exhibitions, at galleries and community venues throughout New Jersey. His most recent solo shows include Imagine (Summer 2022--present), Transcendence (Spring 2023), Be Still (Summer 2023--present), Transfiguration (April 2024), Inner Spirit (June 2024), and Culmination (December 2024). Among the group exhibitions in which his work has been included are the Manville Arts Council (MAC) 2024 Expo at the Manville Public Library in May 2024, and Peace/Conflict at Nails in the Wall Gallery at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Metuchen during the fall of 2024. His current work explores his deepening interests in spirituality and other universal topics.
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Fernandez's artwork has been showcased in publications including Under One Sky: Leaping Letters (2019), a picture book distributed to Rwandan schoolchildren; the N.J. Department of Human Services 2020 Calendar; the 2023 issue of Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry; the 2023 and 2024 issues of Calyx, the literary journal of Caldwell University; and multiple issues (2023-24) of the Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey.​
Alongside his own artistic practice and shows, Fernandez is an emerging gallery curator and facilitator. He has curated a traveling exhibition of watercolor paintings and colored pastel drawings by the late Isabella Neufeld since the summer of 2023. At the Mueller Gallery at Caldwell University, he was the assistant curator of a group faculty exhibition, Inspire 2023 in the fall of 2023; and two solo visiting artist exhibitions, including Sarah Canfield's Reverb: Imagining the Invisible in the fall of 2023 and Steve Rossi's Prior Appropriation (with Robbie Wing) in the winter of 2024. Fernandez facilitated artist talks during the openings of both Inspire 2023 and Prior Appropriation. For the fall of 2024, he wrote an essay for the catalog of a solo exhibition featuring visiting artist Nick Lamia, for the fall of 2024. Currently, he is curating and organizing all aspects of Connexum, a group exhibition featuring former and current members of Caldwell's Iota Epsilon chapter of Kappa Pi--the international art Honors society--for the winter of 2025. As an alumnus of Kappa Pi, he is among the exhibiting artists.​​
Artist Statement
I am a mixed media artist who is deeply interested in the visceral and emotional. Employing a wide variety of materials, I seek to break boundaries of creativity, dimension, and communication. My preference not to settle with one medium or approach renders every project a unique experience, each with exciting ideas, risks, and discoveries.
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My art establishes a connection between myself and viewers of all backgrounds, enabling them to engage with my work and gain insights to contemplate and act upon in their own lives. In response to the ongoing situation of division, unrest, and conflict faced by my emerging generation, I am compelled to draw attention to important, universal topics and issues concerning humanity. I believe that art, whether evoking a sense of comfort and peace or feelings of unease and confrontation, is a way into the soul and a vehicle through which one can ignite a spark of personal transformation that empowers each of us to connect with others on a common level.