Jamin (Benjamin Kluss)
Jamin (b.1976, Sydney) is an Australian artist, based in Hobart. Jamin’s work challenges cultural myths, exploring slippages between identity, media, politics and popular culture. Through combining elements of street and protest culture with absurdity and ambivalence, he creates often wild reflections of contemporary mediated experience.
In 2008 Jamin was selected for ‘Contemporary Australia: Optimism’, a major triennial exhibition presenting leading contemporary Australian art at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in Brisbane. His solo exhibitions include: Inertia Force Change Inertia (Criterion Gallery, 2008), First We Take Paris, then We Take the World (Devonport Regional Gallery – Solo Commission 2007) and Tasmania: Explore the Possibilties (INFLIGHT, 2007). He is also regularly involved in group and curated exhibitions and projects around Australia, workshops with school and community groups and public and private commissions.
Jamin is also a founding member of Die Laughing Collective (2004) with Paicey and Empire. The collective produce large scale works both on and off the street.
Jamin is represented by Criterion Gallery in Hobart, and is a Board member of Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania (CAST), Tasmania’s peak contemporary art body. Jamin served as a board member for INFLIGHT Artist Run Initiative from 2005-2009, where he was the Chair from 2006-2008. He was also a founding partner of Red Wall Gallery in 2005.
Jamin holds an MFA from the Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania (2008), and currently works there as a sessional staff member.
Jamin’s C.V.
Solo Exhibitions
2011 – Shields Against the Enemy, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2009 – Jamin: Old and New Work, Poimena Gallery, Launceston
2008 – INERTIA / FORCE / CHANGE / INERTIA , Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2007 – First We Take Paris, Then We Take the World, Solo Commission Devonport Regional Gallery, Devonport
2007 – Tasmania: Explore the possibilities, INFLIGHT Gallery, Hobart
2006 – Common Ground (Folie á Trois), BUS Gallery, Melbourne
2005 – A.K.A., Criterion Gallery @ Amulet Restaurant, Hobart
2004 – Evoluntary, Nourish Café, Hobart
Collaborative Exhibitions with Die laughing Collective
2009 – May’s, May Lane, Sydney
2008 – Heavy Weight, Blender Studio Wall, Melbourne
2006 – May’s, May Lane, Sydney
2006 – The Rat Palace, Entrepot Gallery, Hobart
2005 – Die Laughing, Earlyspace Gallery, Melbourne
2004 – Dissent Disrupt Desert, Entrepot Gallery, Hobart
Selected Group Exhibitions
2011 – Group Action 7, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2010 – Next Show, Melville Street Warehouse, Hobart
2010 – The Oyster’s Locale, ArtsAlive, Launceston (Curated by Fernando do Campo)
2010 – May’s Touring Exhibition, Bathurst Regional Gallery, Bathurst
2010 – Spray Drip Stroke, Poimena Gallery, Launceston (Curated by Ben Miller)
2010 – Let’s Make the Water Turn Black, INFLIGHT Gallery, Hobart (Curated by Mat Ward)
2010 – Group Action 6, Criterion Gallery HOBART
2010 – Prosopography, Academy Gallery, Launceston
2010 – Group Action 5, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2009 – Poppers, Front Gallery, Newcastle (Curated by Tom Kearny)
2009 – Darwin Centenary, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart
2009 – May’s Lane Street Art Retrospective, Carriage Works, Sydney
2009 – Portrait Show, Famous When Dead Gallery, Melbourne
2009 – Your Kid Can’t Do This, ACT Legislative Assembly Gallery, Canberra
2008 – Contemporary Australia: Optimism, Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
2008 – Unsustainable Weight of Place, Watch This Space, Alice Springs
2008 – 5 Years of Art, INFLIGHT Gallery, Hobart
2008 – Some Dayz, Michael Koro Gallery, Melbourne (Curated by Adrian Doyle)
2008 – Lucha Libre!, INFLIGHT Gallery, Hobart (Curated by Victor Medrano)
2007 – Urban Skins, Pinnacles Gallery, Thurngowa, Queensland
2007 – Urban Art Agenda #1 (with Die Laughing Collective), Shed 4, Docklands, Melbourne.
2007 – Board of INFLIGHT , Firstdraft ARI , Sydney; ArtsAlive, Launceston; INFLIGHT , Hobart.
2007 – Stencil Festival 2007, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Sale, Ballarat.
2007 – E.G., Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart (curated be Briony Nainby)
2007 – Sea Change, Kill Difference, Red Wall Gallery, Hobart (curated by Tim Panaretos)
2007 – Selected Cuts, Higher Ground, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide
2006 – ...text me, Devonport Regional Gallery, Devonport (curated by Ellie Ray)
2006 – 2006 Melbourne / Sydney Stencil Festival, Melbourne & Sydney
2006 – May’s Retrospective Exhibition (with Die Laughing Collective), Building 1 Factory 1, Sydney
2006 – Hatched ‘06, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), Perth
2006 – A Place in the World – Visual Art Prize, ACU and University of Adelaide, Adelaide
2006 – Sticker Fix, Sabotage Gallery, Hobart
2006 – Group Action 2, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2005 – Artmart 2, Sabotage Gallery, Hobart
2005 – Highly Recommended (Honours Grad Show), Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart
2005 – Artmart, Urban Café / Sabotage, Hobart
2005 – Fat & Flat (TUU Painting & Sculpture Society), Long Gallery, Hobart
2005 – Criminal Intent (with Die Laughing Collective), HO Gallery, Melbourne
2005 – Melbourne Stencil Festival (with Die Laughing Collective), Meat Markets, Melbourne
2004 – Head of School’s Summer Selection, Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart
Commissons
2008 – Syrup Nightclub, wall paintings, Hobart
2006 – Undertone, wall paintings, Hobart
2005 – Youngtown Underpass, Public Art Commission, Youngtown Primary School, Launceston (with Empire)
2005 – Springvale Hostel Stairwell, Public Art Commission, Arts@Work, Hobart (with Die Laughing Collective)
2005 – Kid Throws a Rock at The World (with Die Laughing Collective), Private Commission, Hobart
Collections
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery Collection
Criterion Gallery Collection
Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania Collection
Jamin’s work is also held in a number of private collections.
Appointments
2008 – (Current) C.A.S.T. (Contemporary Art Services Tasmania), Board Member
2005/09 – INFLIGHT Artist Run Initiative, Board Member, Web Designer
2006/08 – Chair of the Board of INFLIGHT Artist Run Initiative, Hobart
2005/08 – Red Wall Gallery, Designer / Publicist, Republic Bar & Café, Hobart
Education
2008 – Master of Fine Art (Research Higher Degree) (Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania)
2005 – Bachelor of Fine Art with Honours – First Class (Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania)
2004 – Bachelor of Fine Art – Painting (Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania)
1998 – Certificate in Pre-Press (Trade – Adelaide institute of TAFE )
Employment
2006 – (Ongoing) Sessional Teacher, Tasmanian School of Art, UTAS
2003 – (Ongoing) Self-employed Graphic/Web Designer
Publications
2010 – MAY ’S: The May Lane Street Art Project, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, ISBN 9780947301828
2009 – ‘May’s at Carriageworks’, Tugi Balog & Wendy Murray, MAY ’s, ISBN 978 -0-9806280-0-5
2008 – ‘Contemporary Australia: Optimism’, Ellie Buttrose, Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery
etc.
