Buswell, Ben. All At Once, 2017. 2018 Individual Artist Fellow, Oregon Arts Commission.
Originally published February, 2018
“I am always experimenting, touching the world, in an effort to build an intuitive sense of how materials can communicate through their presence. In the same way that the Self is realized through the body, the image is apprehended through tactile presence – this is the space of making.” – Ben Buswell
Ben Buswell’s sculptural work is realized with ceramics, metals, resins, incised photographs and more. He subjects these materials to physical processes (such as scratching, piercing, melting and tearing) wherein the accumulation of small, repetitive gestures builds into a complex whole. Buswell is a 2015 Hallie Ford Fellow in the Visual Arts. Notable solo exhibitions include Samuel Freeman, Los Angeles, CA; CoCA, Seattle, WA; The Art Gym at Marylhurst University; and TILT Gallery and Project Space in Portland. His work was included in Portland2012: A Biennial of Contemporary Art, presented by Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, and the 2006 Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art Museum. Collections that house his work include Portland Community College, Rock Creek and the State of Oregon, Collaborative Life Sciences Building at Oregon Health & Science University. Buswell received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and BFA from Oregon State University. He is represented by Upfor, Portland.
Courtesy of the Oregon Arts Commission.
Artist Credit: Ben Buswell