Paul Benney lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y. He studied Theater Arts and Dance at U.C. Santa Cruz and co-directed OnSite Dance Company in San Francisco with Jessica Lutes for twelve years before moving to New York in 2002. He was a Movement Research Artist in Resident in 2003, and he continues his performance related work with TRYST, a collaborative, interventionist arts group based in New York. His varied performance experience includes stints with the underground Rock pioneers The Residents, Joe Goode Performance Group, and David Neumann’s Advanced Beginners Group, among others. His collage practice began in earnest when he moved to NYC. Inspired by the changing visual landscape of the city, a desire to explore new neighborhoods, and a love of composition, he started photographing and collecting visual detritus such as menus, newspapers, and maps. He makes collage as a way to both catalogue and transpose into his environment by reinterpreting this visual information. He is a Gym Teacher and Coach at St.Ann’s School in Brooklyn.
