Bénédicte Gimonnet (b. Clermont-Ferrand, France, 1969) has lived, worked, and been part of the arts ecosystem in the UAE for over 13 years. Bénédicte's painting practice comprises a deliberate explosion of bold colours and technical innovation, mixing supposedly unmixable painting materials together, and creating immersive, intricate, and visually seductive environments. Through a recent exploration of personal issues with identity loss and recovery, the artist reconciled with her repressed Peruvian roots, creating new paintings that depict lush and exuberant rainforest environments whose extravagant vegetation acts as an allegory for the mind, mapping a journey of self-discovery and reconnecting with its roots. The strong colour palette references Peruvian folklore, while the compositions mimic the Amazonian rainforest that is deliberately not botanically, geographically, to seasonally correct to reflect the diversity of colourful experiences that shape one’s individuality and identity.
Bénédicte held several solo exhibitions in the UAE, including In Search of Eden at Aisha Alabbar Gallery, Dubai, UAE (2023), Confluence (a collaborative exhibition with Dr. Najat Makki), La Galerie, Alliance Française, Dubai (2021); Between Macro and Micro, La Galerie, Alliance Française, Dubai (2019); Organicus Mundus, Khalidiya Palace, Abu Dhabi (2011); and Infinity Small, Infinity Large, Alliance Française, Abu Dhabi (2009).
Bénédicte participated in the 38th and 39th Annual Exhibition - Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE (2023 & 2024). She has participated in many group exhibitions in the UAE and internationally, including While the Coffee Grounds Settle, Fathom Gallery in Georgetown, Washington, DC (2022); Disconnect & Reconnect (Part one and two), Etihad Modern Art Gallery and Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE; The Art Circle Award 2021, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2022); Emirates Fine Arts Society Exhibition, Expo2020, Dubai, UAE (2022); Interconnection: 37th Annual Exhibition - Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE (2021); Together We Art, LP4Y, Champs-Elysées, Paris, France (2021); Caravane & Guests at the French Residence, Institut français, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2019); Travelling Light, Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2017); Accrochages, Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2014 – 2015); City, Desert and Sea, Alliance Française, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2014); National Day, Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2013); Watchwomen and Dreamcatchers, Institut Français, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2013); Regards sur les Emirats, Embassy of France & Ministry of Culture, UAE (2012); Globe, Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi, UAE (2010 – 2011); London Art Fair, corbettPROJECTS, London, UK (2009); Red Dot New York (with Cynthia Corbett Gallery), New York, USA (2009); Français of the Year 2008 Ceremony, London, UK(2008); Red Dot Miami, (with Cynthia Corbett Gallery), Miami, USA; Slick Paris, Le 104, corbettPROJECTS, Paris, France (2008); AAF New York, The Cynthia Corbett Gallery, New York, USA (2007 – 2009); Light and Colour, Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, UK (2007); Deutsch Postbank Exhibition, London, UK (2005).
Bénédicte received the inaugural Art Circle Award, Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2021. She is also a member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society. The artist earned a BFA in painting from UAL: Wimbledon College of Arts in 2006.
Bénédicte’s works are in a number of collections around the world, including Goldman Sachs and Women’s Museum in Dubai, The Art Circle Collection and Khalidiya Palace in Abu Dhabi, Champagne PG P&F Epernay, France, and Clerical Medical London, UK, in addition to private collections in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, Russia, Australia, Japan, and Europe .