Ben Alexy

 Six Time Art Party Participant

 

A Dream DeferredA Dream Deferred

 

Artist’s Website

www.benalexy.com

 

Artist’s Statement

At the core of my work is the belief that the most beautiful aspect of humanity is our tenacity. This impulse to fight, to struggle, to pick ourselves up isn’t always about self-preservation. Oftentimes it’s born out of our commitment to ideals, to love, to beliefs, to things much more cerebral than physical existence. In many cases it drives us to act in dangerous, self-destructive ways. But I find that this can be heroic. It lends poetry to what would otherwise be a bleak, mundane, and far too logical existence. I try to make work that speaks to this characteristic. My imagery is selected based upon its metaphorical value, and is comprised of moments that illustrate this human tenacity in ways that are dynamic, powerful and urgent. The separation that occurs between the figures and the space in which they exist helps me to emphasize emotions and actions, and to disregard time and place. It allows me to extract and focus on the feelings that I want to talk about. It gives the image a mythological quality. Like a parable, it teaches us something, or perhaps remind us about our own nature.