EDEN BENDER

Biography

Bender graduated with an Honours BFA, Visual Arts, York University and Jewellery Design, George Brown College.

Her work has exhibited with: The Artbox Project, Art Basel, Switzerland; Craft ON; Gardiner Museum; Toronto Potters; Warsaw Poland International Ceramic Exhibition, Poland; Art Kudos International Juried Art Competition; OSA; Nuit Blanche; Prime Gallery; Petroff Gallery; Toronto International Art Fair; Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo ON; and Muse Gallery.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including: Craft ON; Gardiner Museum; Fusion Design; Pottery Supply House Biennial Award; Tuckers Award of Excellence; L.L.Odette Sculpture Award; OAC Award.

Bender is a member of Fusion-Ontario Clay and Glass Association, Toronto Potters and was elected into the Sculptors Society of Canada in 1999. Her studio is based in Toronto.

Artist Statement

Dead matter and decay provide the habitat for a wide array of moss. Life from death, light from dark. Brilliant almost iridescent colours provide a blinding palette. Textures draw you in to touch. The repetitive technique and exploration of industrial materials are carried throughout my work. Layers of synthetic materials are applied to mimic the organic properties of moss. The dichotomy between light and dark are echoed throughout my sculptures. It is the psychological aspects of a driven, overstimulated generation, including myself, that compels me to search out an inner calmness and a sense of self-fulfillment. My work is both conceptual and figurative – using non-traditional ceramic glazes, metal and cement, as well as well as found objects.