About Me
Britta Benno (PhD) is a drawing and printmaking artist living in Tallinn. Her hybridization of drawing or print becoming animation or another form has a potential for a new ways of thinking, seeing and creating. Via rhizomatic combination of genres she creates her own space.
Her artworks has been exhibited throughout in Europe, also in Australia and Canada.
Britta Benno is the Director of the Tallinn Print Triennial. She serves as a lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In 2023, Benno completed her doctoral thesis, Thinking in Layers, in Worlding in Layers: Posthumanist Landscapes in the Expanded Field of Printmaking and Drawing. In addition to exhibiting her work in both solo and group exhibitions, Benno has curated contemporary art exhibitions and events, delivered presentations and workshops, and authored professional reviews and articles.
Education
2018 – 2023 PhD-in-Practice, Art and Design, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
2007 – 2011 Masters in Art, Graphic Art, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
2003 – 2007 Bachelors in Art, Graphic Art, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia
02/2006 – 07/2006 Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Fine Arts department, Vienna, Austria
Solo Exhibitions
07/2024 Of Shells, Strokes and Stains, Studio Kura, Itoshima, Japan
08/2023 Earth’s Arch, Kunstiaken, Tallinn, Estonia
07/2023 Becoming E/earth, Põhjala hangar, Tallinn, Estonia
06/2023 Polar Wonder, Ice Aeg Centre, Tartu county, Estonia
03/2023 Ice and Heather, GÜ Gallery, Estonia
02/2023 Polar Dream in Polarium, Tallinn Zoo, Estonia
01/2023 Polar Dream, Rüki Gallery, Viljandi, Estonia
01/2022 Of Becoming a Land(Scape), Tartu Art House, Tartu, Estonia
11/2020 Ruinenlust: Lasnamägi, Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
08/2020 Becoming a Shape of a Land(scape), Outvert Gallery, Ísafjörður, Iceland
10/2019 Once I Had … duo with Heather Breadsley, Kraam, Tallinn, Estonia
06/2019 Dystopic Tallinn, Art Hall Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
08/2017 Multitasking, Kuku Klubi, Tallinn, Estonia
01/2017 Trapped, Draakon Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
12/2015 Multitasking, Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
01/2013 Tilting at Windmills, Draakon Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
08/2012 Experiments at Estomania Festival, Gallery Bergman, Helsinki, Finland
05/2012 Blow Away Bad Things, Pop-up Gallery Tank travelling miniature exhibition: International Triennial of Contemporary Graphic Arts, Tallinn, Estonia (various locations); Novosibirsk, Russia; Camp Pixelache, Helsinki, Finland
07/2006 Experiments, Club Zeitmaschine, Vienna, Austria
01/2005 Several Stories, Gallery Aatrium, Tallinn, Estonia
Curating Group Exhibitions
10/2024 co-curating and exhibition design for EKA Museum exhibition Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Study at the Estonian Academy of Arts, EKA Gallery, Tallinn
05/2024 EKA student exhibition Side Effect, Kreenholm Manufactory, Narva
10/2023 Curated and participated in contemporary graphic art exhibition Of Surfaces, Lines, and Eigenraums, Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art, Rapla
05/2023 EKA student exhibition A three in the shadow of being, Tampere House Gallery, Tartu
05/2023 EKA student exhibition Contemporary Drawing: Worlding in Layers, EKA Gallery, Tallinn
09/2016 Proof Print, Muhu Print workshop exhibition, Hungarian Institute, Tallinn
08/2015 Black and White, Tallinn V Drawing Triennial (organizer and participant), Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn
05/2012 Exquisite Corpse, organizer and participant, Gallery Metropol, Tallinn
01/2012 Shoveled up, part of Tartu III International Printmaking Festival, Tampere House Gallery, Tartu
01/2011 For Love Not Money. For Beginners, 15th Tallinn Print Triennal Youth Exhibition, with art group Grafodroom, East Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
Selected Group Exhibitions
04/2025 Urban Utopia II, Pärnu Linnagalerii, Pärnu
09/2024 Imagine, ARS Project Space, Tallinn
07/2024 GENIUS LOCI V, Reigi Parsonage, Hiiumaa
04/2024 Geometric Realism of Urmas Ploomipuu: Encounters and Reflections, Rüki Gallery, Viljandi
09/2023 Curatorial Exhibition Power, Kadriorg Park, Tallinn
10/2022 67th Annual Art Exhibition / Eesti Kunstnike Koondis Torontos, The Papermill Gallery at Totmorden Mills, Toronto
09/2022 The Garden of Creativity, Where Mare Vint Goes, GÜ Gallery, Tallinn
08/2022 Open (Eyes) Minds, Rüki Gallery, Viljandi
10/2021 66th Annual Art Exhibition / Eesti Kunstnike Koondis Torontos, The Papermill Gallery at Totmorden Mills, Toronto
05/2021 Spring Exhibition, 21th Annual Exhibition of Estonian Artists´ Association, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
12/2020 Authorship and Responsibility, virtual exhibition, VII Art of Research conference, Aalto, Finland
10/2019 From the beginning to the present: 1 + 1, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn
09/2019 2nd International Print Biennale Yerevan, Hay Art Cultural Center, Yerevan, Armenia
02/2019 Wiiralt Prize 2019, The National Library of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia
12/2018 A Is Missing, trio-exhibition during artist-in-residency program, Kulturdrogerie, Vienna, Austria
12/2018 KulturKontakt Austria Artist-in-Residence Exhibition, Bundeskantzleramt, Vienna, Austria
11/2018 Estonia 100 in Latvia, Mark Rothko Art Center, Daugavpils, Latvia
09/2018 Scala cromatica, Patyolat, Budapest, Hungary
03/2018 Living.Space, curated graphic art group exhibition, Red Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
08/2017 Other side of reality, curated graphic art group exhibition, Tartu Art House, Tartu, Estonia
06/2017 Tests, curated group exhibition, Draakoni Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
06/2017 Mirror – Face to Face, Estonian and Italian graphic art, Palazzo Cordellina, Vicenza, Italy
02/2017 EST + LT + DE => Grafik: Up-to-date Graphic Art from Estonia, Lithuania and Germany, GEDOK Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
07/2016 Wo-men, Printmaking In Festival 2016, Pärnu Town Gallery, Pärnu
06/2016 Political Dress, Ladyfest Tallinn 2016, project space Kraam, Tallinn
05/2016 Spring Exhibition, 16th Annual Exhibition of Estonian Artists’ Association, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn
08/2015 Sky is Falling, international printmaking exhibition, Pärnu Linnagalerii, Pärnu
06/2015 The Suprised Eye, Armenian Artists’ Union Gallery, Yerevan, Armenia
02/2014 Literacy – Illiteracy, 16th Tallinn Print Triennial, KUMU Art Museum, Tallinn
03/2011 Dirty Sexy Graphic, Non-Fibonacci group graphic art exhibition, Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn
01/2011 For Love Not Money, 15th Tallinn Print Triennial, international exhibition: artist books; mail art project participant; collaboration with art group Non-Fibonacci; collaboration with art group Grafodroom, KUMU Art Museum, Tallinn
10/2007 Political/Poetical, 14th Tallinn Print Triennial, KUMU Art Museum, Tallinn
Art Studio
2018 – Present Personal studio in Põhjala Factory, Tallinn, Estonia
2009 – 2016 Grafodroom, Co-founder and member of independent printmaking studio and art collective, Tallinn, Estonia
Publications
08/2025 Foreword. – The 19th Tallinn Print Triennial. Edit. E. Näripea. Tallinn: Tallinna Graafikatriennaal, 2025
06/2025 The 19th Tallinn Print Triennial, dialogue with M. Agu. – Kunst.ee, 2/2025
06/2025 Of Becoming a Land(Scape). Material, Science, Utopia. – Leida Reader. Fifteen Selected Articles. Edit. T. Hallimäe, N. Lopp. Tallinn: EKA Faculty of Design, 2025
12/2025 Cross-Breeding Printmaking. Staging Ruinenlust. – Kunstiteaduslikke Uurimusi 3-4 (33)
10/2024 Figure drawing at the Academy of Arts. – Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Study at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Edit. Reeli Kõiv. Tallinn: EKA Museum, 2024
12/2023 Thinking in Layers, Worlding in Layers: Posthuman Landscapes in Expanded Field of Printmaking and Drawing. Dissertationes Academiae Artium Estoniae 39. Tallinn: Eesti Kunstiakadeemia, 2023
2022 Create and explore! Supporting material for a pupil’s project/work in the field of creative work and art in a general education school https://loojauuri.artun.ee/#/ Authors: H. Arov, B. Benno, G. Lock, A. Porri, J. Remm, K. Toomla
11/2022 Of Becoming a Land(Scape). Material, Science, Utopia. Leida, 1, 25.11.2022 https://leida.artun.ee/en/issues/technocriticism/of-becoming-a-land-scape-material-science-utopia?fbclid=IwAR1E_qJ5C65n1QVNWnomIkAc0VO9jcRb2WW4BpAPk5YN0RdRe1t9hyWIb-I
25/9/2020 See ei olnud mina, see oli vari, Sirp
23/03/2019 Graafika on kihiliselt mõtlemine, Sirp
Selected bibliography
22/11/2024 Paljas või riides, hindeks saate viie! Aleksander Metsamärt. Sirp
01/2024 Nihestatud kihid Britta Benno loodud omaruumides. Mari-Liis Krautmann. Kunst.ee
10/11/2023 Varjatud sügavuste ja kõrguste lummuses. Mari-Liis Krautmann. Sirp
18/8/2023 Selle maailma asjad. Liina Aru. Sirp
01/2022 Mõistatus, mis viib nähtamatu eesriide taha. Hasso Krull. Postimees
26/01/2022 Kunstinautlejal tuleb kunstimajas pingutada oma ajusagaraid. Enriko Talvistu. Tartu Postimees
25/01/2022 Tartu kunstimaja uutel näitustel on olulisel kohal kihid. Lauraliis Süldre. Kultuur.err.ee
23/01/2022 Kunstimajas tulevad esile kihiline maastik, naha loomulik eripära ja une kujutelmad. Liina Ludvig. Tartu Postimees
09/11/2020 „Kui pole ruumi, pole ka teoseid“ ehk kus töötavad kunstnikud Tallinnas ja Tartus? K. Kivirähk, M. Agu. KKEK veebiajakiri
22/07/2020 Intervjuu EKA avatud akadeemia juhendaja Britta Bennoga, kelle looming liigub pildipinnalt üle ääre ruumi. A.Talu-Vürmer. EKA Uudiskiri
19/07/2019 Rahustav pilk inimjärgsesse maailma. Britta Benno isikunäituse “Düstoopiline Tallinn” arvustus. C. Aun, Postimees
15/07/2019 Milline on Tallinn pärast kliimakatastroofi? L. Lükko, Eesti Päevaleht
12/2017 Uus Eesti graafika: Britta Benno. L.K. Repnau, Müürileht
03/2017 Elu võimalikkus masinavärgis ja Britta Benno loomingus. E.H. Seljamaa, Vikerkaar
Selected invited Lectures
08/2025 Making the 19th Tallinn Print Triennial, The Baltic Printmakers Network Meeting & Conference, ARS Cultural Factory, Tallinn
03/2025 Of Becoming a Land(scape). Abstract Geology as a Way of Thinking, PhD Vitamin conference, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn
10/2024 Workshops, lectures and participation in symposium at the EKA Museum exhibition Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Study at the Estonian Academy of Arts, EKA Gallery, Tallinn
03/2024 Workshop and artist talk, Kuopio Adult Education Centre, Kuopio, Finland
06/2022 Presentation at the Estonian Academy of Sciences Eco-School Garden Seminar, Under and Tuglas Literary Centre Museum, Tallinn
06/2021 Presentation at the PhD Vitamin Estonian Academy of Arts Doctoral Studies Event Series, Tallinn, Estonia
12/2020 Thinking in Layers, Worlding in Layers, VII Art of Research Conference, Aalto University, Finland
02/2017 Multitasking – Artist Talk, GEDOK Gallery, Karlsruhe, Germany
03/2018 Contemporary Estonian Printmaking Practices, Red Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
11/2019 Estonian Contemporary Printmaking Female Artists: Spaces, Identities, Mediums. Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Membership
2011 – Present Member of The Association of Estonian Printmakers
2013 – Present Member of The Estonian Artists´ Association
Selected Artist Residencies and Awards
12/2025 Rüki Gallery artist-in-residence, Viljandi, Estonia
07/2025 Kura Studio artist-in-residence, Itoshima, Japan
07/2022–08/2022 Väino Tanner Foundation Art Residency, Mazzano Romano, Italy
10/2021–11/2021 Artist-in-residence, European Artist Exchange Program, The Cotton Factory Hamilton, Canada
07/2020–08/2020 ArtsIceland artist-in-residence, Ísafjörður, Iceland
2018 Kulturkontakt Austria Artist-in-Residency Program, Vienna, Austria
07/2014 Ajkai Printmaking workshop, Magyarpolánys, Hungary
2007 Laureate of scholarship of E. Valtman, Tallinn, Estonia