Australian Artist Ben Quilty Explores Masculinity and Climate Collapse in New York Exhibition
Ben Quilty's 'Devil/God' exhibition at albertz benda in New York confronts masculinity, power, and the effects of climate collapse.
Australian artist Ben Quilty is making his New York solo debut with *Devil/God*, a new exhibition at albertz benda that explores the complex relationships between masculinity, power, and the effects of climate collapse.
The exhibition takes its cue from Arthur Conan Doyle's 1928 short story *When the World Screamed*, in which Professor Challenger drills into the Earth to prove it is a living organism, provoking a scream and violent earthquakes in the process. Quilty revisits the premise as ecological collapse makes the story feel less like science fiction.
Quilty's work is characterized by heavily impastoed paintings that turn his expressionistic language toward climate change, colonial violence, religion, and the systems of power behind them. At the center of the exhibition is one of his most persistent subjects: masculinity. Cars, a recurring motif in his work, become symbols of male pride and aggression, appearing in place of heads or distorted to absurd proportions.
One oversized carburetor scoop becomes so large that driving itself is rendered impossible. Elsewhere, Quilty takes aim at institutional authority through a carved figure of the Virgin Mary made from alternating layers of leather and plywood. The materials reference straps historically used to punish children in church schools, transforming a familiar religious icon into an ambiguous figure of comfort, complicity, and violence.
Throughout *Devil/God*, Quilty resists easy distinctions between victim and perpetrator, beauty and brutality. Beneath the slashing brushstrokes, mutated bodies, and menacing forms are flashes of tenderness and innocence, positioning the work somewhere between anger and empathy.
The exhibition is on view at albertz benda in New York from October 15 through November 14, 2026.
**Exhibition Details**
| Exhibition Title | Devil/God | | --- | --- | | Venue | albertz benda | | Address | 515 W 26th St. | | City | New York | | State | NY | | Zip Code | 10001 | | Dates | October 15 - November 14, 2026 |
