COLUMBUS, OH.- Sadie Benning: Suspended Animation, the first full-scale museum exhibition of works by the influential video artist, will be on view January 26–April 15, 2007. Organized by the Wexner Center, this exhibition will mark the first solo presentation of her 6- to 8-foot-tall “Head” paintings on canvas and paper, and includes the premiere of the large-scale, two-projection video work Play Pause, a rhythmic and affectionate portrait of city life.

Highlighting Benning’s playful, lo-fi aesthetic, the video and paintings touch on such issues as sexual ambiguity and loneliness, and explore the crucial role that drawing has played throughout her artistic career. Based in Chicago, Benning was a Wexner Center Residency Award artist in media arts in 2003–04, and has been at the center on and off over the past 2½ years to work on her new video and this exhibition, primarily in the center’s Art & Technology facilities.

“For nearly two decades, Sadie has been one of the most innovative video artists of our time, and this exhibition seeks to explore the full range of her work,” says Jennifer Lange, associate curator of media arts and curator of this show. “We’re thrilled to able to not only show Sadie’s paintings, but also her first foray into gallery-based video installation art.”

Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin notes, “Given her resolutely cross-disciplinary approach, Sadie Benning is a perfect fit for a place like the Wexner Center. Her extensive artist residency and this culminating exhibition highlight the range of resources we can offer an artist to support the creation of new work.”

A catalogue will accompany the exhibition and will feature an introduction by Lange with essays by poet Eileen Myles, writer Aleksandar Hemon, and Wexner Center Chief Curator of Exhibitions Helen Molesworth, as well as an interview between Benning and artist Amy Sillman. Tour dates to be announced. Benning will engage in a conversation with catalogue essayist Eileen Myles on Thursday, February 8 at 4:30 pm at the Wexner Center. Admission is free.