ben skinner
Ben Skinner is easily one of my favorite contemporary artists. His text-based work is not only funny {in sort of a bizarre, inside-joke-kinda-way}, but it is also beautifully executed. And, he’s not shy when it comes to trying new materials… inlaid veneer, thread on canvas, glitter on aluminum, bananas, candy sprinkles on wood panel. Yes, I said candy sprinkles. I’m not sure that it’s possible for me to explain what inspires Ben, so I’ll let him tell you:
As a person interested in many things I have difficulty focusing
I love the blurry and banal
Folk signage: KEYS CUT HERE
The invisible systems of the everyday
Old traditions of fine craftsmanship
and the spontaneity of a child’s scribble
I believe in the phonetics of materials and the grammar of space
Twisting a joke out of the mundane
Simplistic ideas
Loops
Ridiculous restraints
Collecting, archiving, processing, filtering, editing
Lining things up and counting them
Finding patterns
The rich history embodied in an old rusty tool, or threadbare quilt
I like very much to point at things
directing the viewer’s attention to something they may normally miss
Grouping like things together
(Or unlike things)
Bouncing things against each other
Recognizing social and urban phenomena
Shifting focus and contexts to widen art’s lens
The peculiarities of human behavior
Absurdity. Nonsense
The drive to relate to things
The Hokey-Pokey
See… how can he not be one of my favorites!?
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