Benjamin L. Turner at Babst Gallery

At first glance, Benjamin L. Turner’s exhibition (closing this Saturday at Babst Gallery) is a bit confounding in its use of disparate approaches and mediums. Thick acrylic abstractions abut backlit photographs of liquor bottles. Vaguely biomorphic mixed media sculptures are adorned with LED lights and doused in resin. Yet, as you spend time with the work, it all gels together into a cohesive and explorative output, each medium offering something to the exhibition that another can’t accomplish. 

A series of photographs in the show, some printed on fabric, others mounted in light boxes, bend familiar objects to the edge of recognition. A plush monkey toy is photographed from an odd foreshortened angle; a Beanie Baby in a plastic ziplock looks squished and almost gelatin; in Motivational Dance Grin, an inexplicable digital slop that splooges across the photograph like a strange alien in Stranger Things. 

Many of the works include a custom LED light sequence — a strange theatrical touch that plays out while viewing each piece. In this way, Turner takes the familiar and turns it uncannily on its head. 

To receive the full weekly coverage from Lindsay Preston Zappas, subscribe to our Art Insider Newsletter at kcrw.com/newsletters.

Photo: Benjamin L. Turner, installation view. Image courtesy of Babst Gallery.