Benja Harney

Bio

Current Location

Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

Country of Origin

Australia 🇦🇺

Benja Harney makes anything and everything he possibly can with paper. He’s a paper engineer, working with the challenging, humble and endlessly inventive properties of the material each day. With technical precision, Benja incorporates strong and vibrant colour combinations that invoke intrigue and inspire happiness. Benja studied Graphic Design at Sydney Design Centre and works from a studio in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Benja devotes hundreds of hours to labour-intensive projects, including The City of Sydney’s 2016/17 New Years Eve celebrations branding, which involved 600 hours of fabricating the intricate paper artwork. He has worked with major brands like Hermes, Zara, Aperol, Vogue Living, Samsung Galaxy, H&M Conscious Collection, and collaborated in the non-profit space with organisations including R U OK DAY? and the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Once you get me started, I won't shut-up about...

YouTube. I’m totally hooked! There is so much to learn about any subject you can think of. I find it endlessly fascinating to have it playing in the background as I work. Current interests include permaculture gardens and Earthships — ultra sustainable houses from built from waste materials. Plus Japan. Always Japan!

This year I can't wait to...

Give people more access to my paper designs. I’ve built up a huge archive of creations over the years which would be exciting to share with everyone.

As a kid, I loved to draw...

As a kid, I loved to build things — trains, planes and automobiles — you name it! Making models has been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. Lego was always in high rotation. My brother and I would often create paper and satay skewer hang-gliders for our Star Wars figures too.

My super power is...

Smiling at people on the street. Some of them may think you’re a tad weird, but mostly people really smile back which is always good vibes.

My dream project would be...

Travelling across Asia learning traditional paper making techniques from the paper masters in China, Japan and South Korea.

I find a project rewarding when...

I get the chance to explore a new technique or incorporate a new material into the design process. I love challenging myself and expanding my creative experience.

News

2024

Dec 02, 24

Artists

Benja Harney x Telstra

Oct 02, 24

Artists

Benja x Koala

Welcome to Jacky Winter Spring/Summer ‘24. Each season a new artist creates original imagery using our site as their playground. The current artwork (above) comes from Georgia Perry. Learn more about our seasonal model of representation and other FAQ.

Want to submit a folio?
submissions@jackywinter.com

+61.(0)3.8060.9745
au@jackywinter.com
52 Budd Street
Collingwood, VIC 3066
Australia

+44.(0)20.3695.9633
uk@jackywinter.com
The Exchange, Somerset House
Strand
London, WC2R 1LA
United Kingdom

+1.646.797.2761
us@jackywinter.com
228 Park Ave S, PMB 66862
New York, NY 10003-1502
United States of America

Social

The Jacky Winter Group Acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands we are on and pays respect to their Elders past and present.

The Jacky Winter Group is a member of the AOI and AMA and abides by the relevant code of practice for artist agents.