As an artist, this question:
"what's next?" is probably the most frequent question we hear. Yes,
it's a passion that has always encouraged everyone to continue to make the creation,
perhaps even in every aspect of life, the need to do something new is a common
thing possessed by every human being. In the art world, sometimes we are
imprisoned by the perception of what we see everyday, say about the media or
creative style raised. Yet in this modern era, competition in the world of art
can not be avoided anymore, and it must be admitted that art has touched even
the business world for a long time. You need to have “something” to survive.
Innovation is needed in
creating a work of art. However, innovation does not mean forgetting the roots
of the existing art. It can be used to bold yourself as a creator. This
following artist is the one who caught my attention since I first saw his work,
Ben Heine, the one and only!
His project that I saw at
first, "Pencil vs. Camera", really broke my stiffness about the
concept of imagination. Not only the creative process is very interesting, but
also the resulting output is completely full of meaning, and even in my opinion,
this guy's project, who has a degree in Journalism, has great potential in
delivering a message of any phenomenon (even political issues!?), and I believe
the impact would be sufficient large in the community. No more talk, here is the interview!
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name : Ben Heine
City/Country :
Brussels
Email : info@benheine.com
Website : www.benheine.com
Twitter
: @BenHeine
Facebook : Ben Heine
Bio :
Ben grew up in Abidjan,
Ivory Coast. He lived there 7 years, along with his parents and his 3 sisters.
His father was a commercial engineer and his mother a Modern Jazz dance
teacher. Everything changed when the family came back to Brussels in 1990. Ben
became a troubled and demanding child. He didn't like school at all. He finally
became wiser and more disciplined later on, after a stay in a boarding school
(at the "Collège Saint Vincent"
(Belgium), from 12 y/o to 18 y/o). In 1994, he discovered for the first time
that his energy, his fears and his ideals could be canalized in visual
projects, it was the very beginning of a never ending adventure in drawing and
painting. As a teenager, Ben had many other hobbies and activities: beside
writing poetry on a daily basis, he played drums, piano and guitar, he also
used to play basketball and to run everyday. His interest for graphic arts was
eventually the strongest one.
Interview with
Ben Heine...
- How long
have you been an artist?
When I was 11 year old or so, there was a
shift in my personality and habits. I started spending all my free time on my
projects. I was somehow learning on my own and trying different graphic
experimentations. This new passion somehow damaged my social life at that time
but I don’t regret anything, I wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t decided to do
this.
- Is being an
artist a full-time career for you?
Yes, it is. I’m working on my artistic
projects from very early in the morning till late in the evening. It is a full
time investment. Since 2 years, I’m finally able to make a living out of my
artistic work. It is nice to be able to do what I like but it’s hard everyday
and it involves many sacrifices, which is may be the downside.
- Tell me
about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from
past projects?
I’m currently working on some new “Pencil Vs
Camera” works with colored drawings instead of black and white sketches. It’s a
richer and more complex approach. I’m collaborating since a few weeks only with
an advertising agency in Bucharest, Romania. I’m also working on some
electronic musical compositions, but that’s more as a hobby.
Pencil Vs Camera 2010
Pencil Vs Camera 2011
Pencil Vs Camera January 2012
Pencil Vs Camera March 2012
Pencil Vs Camera March 2012
- What was
your inspiration?
Many teachers have inspired me in a great way
when I was a student. Nowadays, I find inspiration in my daily life, in every
new person I meet, in nature, in cities I travel to, in music I listen to, in
movies I watch... All this gives me good insight and stimulates my imagination.
- "What
is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you
hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to
make?
I think Art should surprise and inspire
people. It should be the reflection of the society we live in or a reflection
of how society will be in the future.
- What was the
best advice given to you as an artist?
Everybody can be part of History.
- Tell me about
your workspace and your creative process.
Wow, my workspace... There are 2 workspaces
actually; my desk and computers place where I do my digital stuff (and from
where I’m writing right now) and my studio in the countryside where I do all my
traditional works. Both are quite messy and completely crazy to look at. I’d
never show them in detail I guess. My creative process... I need to experience
intense, emotional and powerful events in my life first to find inspiration and
creative stimulations. When I have some nice ideas in mind, I need to know how
exactly I’m going to express them, which medium I’m going to use etc. When this
is chosen, I spend days or weeks developing them. And then there is the final
part, may be the most important one: share and spread the final projects with
the public and the press to receive criticisms and reviews.
The process of "Pencil" on Pencil vs. Camera
- What has
been the biggest challenge in the work you create?
Every new project is a big challenge, but I
would say Pencil Vs Camera is becoming more and more complex graphically
speaking, so this is more challenging and time consuming for me. I noticed that
the more time spent on a project the best it becomes. It’s easy to understand
why.
- Where
do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to
see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?
Devian Art and Flickr mainly. There are
thousands of good people there already.
- Do
you have any exhibits to promote?
There might be a new solo exhibition with my
limited edition prints at “The Avenue” in London via The Art Movement, early
May. It’s not confirmed
yet.
Some other interesting projects of Ben Heine:
Digital Circlism
Flesh & Acrylic
a sample of Ben's new brochure:
So that's my interview with Ben. If you want to see more of his work (including his illustration and photography
work), please visit
Great artist!!!
ReplyDeleteHe is! :)
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