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Benito Esquenazi

The Joy of Life Exhibition - A Conversation with Benito Esquenazi

On Tuesday, Jan 25, 2022, I had the honor to be interviewed by Mindy Solomon from Mindy Solomon Gallery in Miami.


The event was sponsored by the Miami Beach JCC as an extension to my current solo exhibition titled The Joy of Life which runs through the second week of February 2022.


All the artwork exhibited was created during the last two years where they explore the transformative effect the pandemic had on my psyche over this time.


Just prior to the talk beginning there was a situation in the gallery where someone at the JCC had become verbally abusive towards me when they understood I was the artist of the painting titled “Ruthless”, that is hanging in this exhibit.


The individuals violent verbal reaction made everyone take pause as we explored how the subtlety of thoughtful conversation of differing opinions seems to be lost on our culture today.

"Ruthless" 2021, 40" x 60"


This situation inspired thoughtful conversation from beginning to end.


Throughout the talk, Mindy Solomon was on-point as she brought out themes in the discussion that delved deep into what inspires my art practice.


Topics of discussion included:

  • personal mythologies

  • underlying concepts of how I build my images

  • "what is" and "why is" art

  • Marina Abramovic

  • Marcel Duchamp

  • Joseph Campbell

  • Jackson Pollock

  • Lee Krasner

  • Peggy Guggenheim

  • Philip Guston

  • Goya

  • El Greco

  • Picasso

  • Domenico Veneziano

  • Cezanne

  • Art History

  • the Golden Ratio

  • Crypto

  • my relationship to my dream world

  • my experiences as a 60-year-old emerging artist

  • and more


The questions from the audience at the end were thoughtful and sparked even more discussion about the future of art in the digital age.


This experience was a great and meaningful way to start wrapping up The Joy of Life Exhibition.


Thank you to the staff of the Miami Beach JCC for hosting this event and supporting my Joy of Life project.


A big "Thank You" to Mindy Solomon who took a chance on recommending me for this exhibition, and facilitating this conversation.

Thank You Mindy for your guidance, support, and friendship.


The Joy of Life Exhibition is on display at the Miami Beach JCC until the second week in February. The exhibition can be viewed on my website using this link:


Hope you get a chance to view the video of the event (link above) that has been posted on YouTube and see the exhibition before it closes.

All are welcome to reach out and say "Hi", and share your comments and thoughts.

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