Biography

Mario Benjamin was born in 1964 in Port-au-Prince, to a family of working professionals (his mother a pharmacist and his father an architect). Mario is one of Haiti' s leading contemporary artist. Using video and multi-media, painting, installation and other mixed media he addresses issues of identity, ethnicity and race. As an artist, he aims to challenge preconceived notions of the driving influences and interests of Haitian artists. Benjamin self taught but frequented museums in New York, Washington, D.C. and abroad exposing him to international contemporary tends in art. In 1984 he participated in Festival Arts d' Haiti and since then has represented Haiti in numerous prestigious biennials including, Johannesburg, Havana, São Paulo and Venice in 2001. He lives and works in Haiti.