Manuela Benaim (b. 1996, Venezuela) earned a BFA in Fine Arts with a Minor in Craft and Material Studies from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, in 2020. Her multidisciplinary practice explores identity and transformation through hyperrealistic silicone skins made with human hair and pigment. Using life-casting and material-based processes, she re-contextualizes the body across sculpture, performance, dance, and photography. Benaim’s work challenges physical and social constructs, highlighting the fluidity and impermanence of human identity.
Solo exhibitions include OSMOSIS, Door Open Space, Amsterdam (2023).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2025); Echoes of Paradise, Jane Lombard Gallery, New York, US (2024); Shapeshifting, W139, Amsterdam, NE (2023); 51 años de desnudo, Spazio Zero, Caracas, Venezuela (2023); Próxima, Hacienda La Trinidad, Caracas, Venezuela (2022); Interludio, GBG Arts, Caracas, Venezuela (2021); Luis Ángel Duque, Galería Freites, Caracas, Venezuela (2021); Textile Art Exhibition, Daesan Museum of Art, South Korea (2020); STAARTA, New York, US (2019); The Philadelphia Furniture Show, 23rd Street Armory, Philadelphia (2018); Next Generation Crafts, The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia (2018); Back to Nature, The Kimmel Center, Philadelphia (2017); Chiaroscuro, Solmssen Court, Philadelphia (2017); First Look, Gallery One, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.
Highlights
Manuela Benhaim has participated in several respected residencies and received notable awards, including the 2023 Arsenal Residency in Metz, France, and the 2022 Door Foundation Residency in Amsterdam. She also took part in the TRANS Residency with Ernesto Artillo in Cabo de Gata, Spain, in 2022. Notable recognitions include the 2020 Rosalie Borowsky Belkin Award, an Honorable Mention for the Florence Whistler Fish Award, and early accolades such as the William Daley Fellow Award and Haystack School of Crafts residency in 2017.