Ben Waters – What We Carry Within

Michael Reid Northern Beaches is delighted to present an expansive new solo exhibition from one of the brightest stars in our stable of represented artists, Ben Waters. Titled What We Carry Within, the Avalon-based artist’s latest body of work is a magnificent expression of the distinctive graphic style for which he is widely celebrated.

“These paintings explore the different ways we experience the landscape,” says Waters, discussing the new series in an extensive five-page artist profile in the Winter 2025 issue of Art & Style, published in the lead-up to his show. “I’m interested in how our past experiences of place influence how we see the world around us.”

Beautifully capturing the sweeping terrain of the Pittwater – its tumbling topography and winding waterways framed by an ethereal tangle of eucalypts – Waters melds elements of realism and abstraction to create works that radiate with colour and resonate with quiet power.

As a lifelong surfer who grew up in the area, Waters has a deep, lived connection to this landscape. He describes painting as a way to process the emotional imprint of time spent in nature. “When I come back from my walks around the headlands, I drive my family nuts trying to explain the way I’m feeling,” he says. “So I paint, because it’s the only way to get it out of my system.”

This deeply personal relationship with the environment brings an authenticity to Waters’ work that is both grounded and moving.

To enquire about works from What We Carry Within by Ben Waters, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au