Artist Statement – I focus on process and material exploration, with a fondness for stone. My hope is that my artworks serve as a subtle point of reflection for how multiple, and even contradictory meanings, can coexist in symbolic language. All language is less clear than it first appears, particularly in the United States where we have so much diversity that in general we have less shared context to rely upon. I find the potential for confusion and misunderstanding to be significant in any attempt at communication, which is what attracts me to art, and to sculpture in particular. Material and form can be read subconsciously precisely in the way that we unwittingly engage and respond using body language in personal interactions. I believe this is the key to how the vast variety of artworks may seem obscure to many while connecting so powerfully to a few. The opportunity for tapping into shared experience in communication takes on new possibilities when artwork begins to incorporate recognizable utilitarian objects from our daily life – particularly when those objects have been discarded, having already “lived” in the world and acquired unique scars and stories.
Bio – Benjamin is an emerging artist based in the Pacific Northwest. He is formally educated in studio art and research writing. As a production assistant, he has worked with professional artists on video, stone, mixed media installations, and public art projects.
His focus is on sculpture, particularly in hard stone, and he recently completed his first public art commission for the City of Lake Oswego. Current material interests revolve around fluid dynamics, and how these are captured in solid materials. Opportunities in 2017 to explore material through artist residencies have been highly rewarding. First he studied jade carving with master sculptor Kazutaka Uchida in Japan, and subsequently explored sculptural paper-making techniques at the Pulp & Deckle Studio Residency in Portland, Oregon.
Benjamin aspires to create forms that reflect the coexistence of order and chaos in nature. Dreaming, visualization, and experimentation are essential to his process.