Local artist Benji Anderson opened his latest solo exhibition at Elephant Gallery in North Nashville a few weeks ago — on Friday the 13th. Toxic Waste in Paradise is a collection of surreal landscapes populated by a menagerie of fantastic creatures, portraits of pensive skulls and paintings of a beloved black cat named Mavis. One of the real attractions of Anderson’s work over the years has been a varied, multimedia output fueled by his ranging curiosity — you never know what you’re going to get with Benji. For all of the bad luck symbolism in the dates and subjects, Toxic Waste in Paradise finds Anderson’s work blessed with the good fortune of a maturing vision, resulting in the artist’s most focused solo exhibition to date. Anderson is still drawn to raw renderings in traditional mediums — this collection is mostly oils on linen and wood panels — but this whole body of work feels of a piece. Even the comic-panel-filled sketchbooks included in the exhibition read like microcosms of the bigger display. This solo show finds Anderson dialing in a deeper focus even while he doubles down on the imperfect aesthetics and imaginative subjects that have always made his work remarkable.
Through April 20 at Elephant Gallery
1411 Buchanan St.
