Benjamin Levy
Born 1982, London
Lives and works in London, UK
Benjamin Levy is an artist from North London. Producing evocative paintings that sensitively examine class in Britain, Levy explores themes of working-class life, status anxiety, and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of social mobility. Largely self-taught, Levy’s formal education was fleeting. After completing an Art Foundation course at Barnet College and briefly studying Illustration at Middlesex University, he left academia, when, as he puts it, ‘life became a bit more serious’. With bills to pay, Levy spent most of his twenties juggling various jobs – working as a gas engineer, carpet fitter, loft converter, labourer on building sites, and manning the tills at Sainsbury’s – all whilst maintaining a steadfast dedication to drawing and painting. As he entered his thirties, the physical and psychological toll of his engineering work propelled him to commit to his art practice full-time.
