Artist Interview | A.M.Benz
A.M. Benz is an emerging artist from Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) working in mixed media with showings in multiple juried art exhibitions in Canada and the United States.
She is serious about seeking out the liminal boundaries of multidimensional surfaces, textures and light. She primarily works with various types of glass, paper, and wire, exploring the play of light while using a limited color palette.
In the future, humans will be one with technology. The universal language will be that of technology. We will be describing our human actions using technology words and terms. The submitted piece is a commentary on technology and the rapid human assimilation into becoming one with our technology.
We’re less and less able to function without our technology and have grown to need a constant influx of information, so much so that many cannot even walk somewhere without being plugged in. As we become inseparable from our tech and our daily lives, reactions and emotions are controlled by how we respond to the devices in front of us, we blur the lines between human and not. While we continue to relinquish control to technology and allow it to become parasitically intertwined with our lives, it will become the dominate group, its language the most prevalent.
Independent & Image Art Space: What are the critical milestones in your art career?
A.M.Benz: Frankly — being included in the “Beyond Human Power” exhibit is (I hope!) acritical moment in my art career. It is my first time being included inan exhibit outside North America and it being China based means the world tome. China is the #1 country where I had hoped to be included in anexhibit one day. I study Mandarin, have visited several times and wouldlike in the not-to-distant future to be able to spend significant time inChina. Having my art as part of an exhibition by Independent & ImageArt Space means the world to me in terms of having my work shown inChina. Before this though, 2 other critical moments happened forme. First, when I was accepted into a show by a Gallerist that Irespected highly and knew was very very tough and critical. When Ireceived his nod of approval and had him request more pieces to give him, thatgave me a lot of confidence. The other critical moment for me was when Iwas awarded a solo show — it was nearly a year of preparation and hard worklike no other but it gave me amazing confidence and taught me a tremendousamount that I couldn’t have learned otherwise.
Independent & Image Art Space: In front of the current pandemic, how do you thinkart can do for our world, community or family?
A.M.Benz: With the current pandemic, art is critical and can do many things for ourworld. It can give people a respite — a moment of beauty to take themaway from the stressors of life or allow them to dream of another world. It can validate their feelings — a piece of art created in frustration orreaction to the difficult times can show people it isn’t just them feeling theway they feel. It allows a connection of sort, an acknowledgement thereare others feeling same way and it is normal to feel out of sorts. Art isalso important during the pandemic for the future — art created now will have avery specific spin to it, be a historical record to look back upon in 50 or 100years or more, art created during the pandemic will truly be a reflection of avery very specific timeframe and show the emotional impact this virus had onhumanity.
Independent & Image Art Space: In the new year of 2021, do you have any plan foryour art creation?
A.M.Benz: For 2021 my plans are to continue working on similar trajectories as last year– blending Eastern and Western techniques and aesthetics. Continuing touse 3-D elements and sculpture with mixed media and mosaic techniques. Inaddition — I plan to explore the small. I’ve generally worked in standardsize pieces with perhaps the smallest being 20 x 20 centimeters. I’d liketo work down very small, perhaps a maximum size of 7 centimeters andless. The materials that I work with are often heavy and take up a lotworkspace — by working down very small, using very small pieces 0.5mm-2mm wide,it will allow my work to be more portable and I can take it with me as I hopeto be travelling for long periods of time and living abroad more in the future.
