10 Questions with Ben Quesnel

Ben Quesnel (b. 1987) is a multimedia artist and educator producing work in Stamford, Connecticut. Quesnel has recently exhibited at Satellite Art Fair in Miami, Governors Island Art Fair in New York, and the Norwalk Art Space in Connecticut. He holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, where he received the ​Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for outstanding art practice and the School of Visual Art’s Thesis Grant. His work has been published in Bmore Art, Gothamist, Hampton’s Art Hub, Hyperallergic, and the New York Times. Recently, he was awarded grants from the State of Connecticut and the National Foundation for the Arts to produce a traveling public art installation.

www.benquesnelart.com | @benqart

ARTIST STATEMENT

Ben Quesnel deconstructs and distorts objects from his everyday experience, apprehending the meanings that have been attached to the items and evaluating them with a new understanding. Through the deliberate placement of these objects in unexpected ways, Quesnel creates a sense of bewilderment, a disruption to challenge certainties and confront preconceptions. It has also become a way for him to navigate transitions and life changes through an appropriation of the familiar.

An underlying theme of imaginary play exists throughout the work as substitutions of objects, mixed matching, and fictional stories are created. The unusual arrangements can evoke different emotions, ranging from playfulness to morbidity, and occasionally they can even blend together as he investigates the autobiographical and social subject matter he is exploring.

Most recently, Quesnel has been using the idea of “play” in his work and how play can be used as a form of discovery and self-care. Transitional objects, therapeutic toys, and participatory games have become a common element in Quesnel’s investigation. The pieces he creates often invite viewer engagement and participation in order to activate the work allowing the pieces to remain in a state of impermanence and be translated differently through variations of forms.

INTERVIEW

First of all, could you tell us a little more about your background? How did you develop into the artist you are today? 

Generally speaking, I believe I started off as a painter and illustrator. However, In 2015 I put down my paintbrush to better understand what being an artist meant. I enrolled in the School of Visual Arts Master's program to expand my craft beyond the canvas and into an interdisciplinary approach to artistic thinking and art making. Performance art, installation, and social practice projects became the foundation of my research. Two years later, I graduated with a new appreciation for what I could accomplish as an artist and how I could chart my ideas in new territories. Following graduation, I began working as an artist with the Alvarez Gallery, which began my career as a professional working artist. 

What is your personal aim as an artist?

As an artist, I like when my work engages an audience and invites participation. I enjoy creating work that people can interact with, change, or respond to; Art that is open-ended and provides an opportunity for chance, and encourages a multiplicity of understanding. I believe this personal aim for creating open-ended works developed from many years of teaching. As an educator, I have always celebrated the collective environment that is found within a shared studio and classroom; It allows us to learn from one another, participate in meaningful conversations, and make new connections to each other and our art. 

You have already exhibited extensively and worked on several different projects. What is so far your favorite experience as an artist? 

I always go back to an art experience that I created in 2018 with my friend/fellow artist Christine Stiver and Longo Realty. Together we created a curated experience that utilized a vacant house slated for demolition. The project was called "Sour Milk," and for this project, we brought together over twenty artists to completely transform the space with art, performances, and music for a one-night event. Floors were painted, bathtubs were filled with art objects, and the backs of kitchen cabinets were cut out so people could climb into other rooms through secret passageways. This was a total work of art that allowed people to feel like they were immersed in one large art installation. It was a lot of work to pull off, but it was an experience that I will never forget.

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

My process usually starts with research or investigation in a certain subject area or topic. Those areas of focus often come from personal or social experiences that I am immersed in. Reading, researching, and conversing with others, also exploring similar areas can help guide my practice as well. Usually, the materials I select for a project are decided while in this researching phase of my practice; I like when the thinking guides the making. However, there are also times when the making guides the thinking as well.
I experiment a lot with objects that pertain to my topics of interest in my studio. There is a lot of learning involved because sometimes I have to teach myself how new material functions and works in order to achieve the final results I desire. For instance, I recently wanted to alter a series of plastic flamingo lawn ornaments. Therefore, I had to learn how to manipulate plastics and fiberglass, which were the materials I wanted to use for that particular installation.

Let's talk about your work. What are the main themes behind your work? What would you like to communicate with it? 

I am interested in ephemerality and creating art experiences inspired by the temporality of moments and the variation of ideas attached to the things that surround us. The pieces are often fleeting and change throughout time with the help and participation of the spectators who engaged with the works. A combination of performative actions and collaborative contributions allow for permanent uncertainty as the installations evolve or dissolve from one occasion to the next. I enjoy artwork that can remain in a state of impermanence, translated differently through variations of forms, spaces, and time. 
I also like to manipulate objects within my work, so understanding the human relationships formed around different objects is an area of focus for me. I research and analyze cultural and personal symbols attached to objects (as in Semiotics), or I dive deep into the rejection of symbols and the ideas we attach to things (as in Object Oriented Ontology). 

Did you experiment with anything new recently? Or is there anything you want to try in the future?

One of the most recent pieces I made consisted of a painting with an embedded digital frame. The digital frame is connected to an app that allows me to send pictures to it from wherever I am located. I like the idea of a continued relationship with a piece when it leaves my studio and into someone else's space. Ongoing, evolving, or dissolving pieces of work has often been an area of interest for me. 

Speaking of themes, in your statement, you mention how you have recently started incorporating the concept of "play" in your work. Can you tell us more about it?  

There is an underlying theme of imaginary play that exists throughout my work as I use substitutions of objects, mixed matching, and fictional scenes that challenge a separation of symbols from reality in a childlike way. I also explore how the idea of play can be used as a form of discovery and self-care within art. 
For instance, last year, I created a participatory art installation that included a room with air-filled bop bags that are sometimes used in therapeutic sessions with children who struggle with verbal expression. To the naked eye, the forms appeared blank,hard to make out in the starkly lit room — an almost ghostly appearance. However, UV lighting revealed the hidden components of the installation: messages and pictures from participants who added to the forms' surfaces with invisible ink. 
I collaborated with Aimee Jette, a clinical art therapist, to develop a series of drawing and writing prompts to encourage deep thoughts and feelings about emotional issues that have affected the volunteers/collaborators involved. Remaining anonymous, the contributors were asked to add creative gestures to the forms' surfaces using expressive writing and drawing as a source of inspiration for self-exploration.  

Is the concept of play behind your use of bright, vivid colors in your work?  

I am a father of a one-year-old and a three-year-old, and they have had a significant impact on my art: the colors I use, the objects I transform, and the subject matter I am investigating. In the past, I worked a lot with neutral tones and very raw and rough objects, but that completely changed after becoming a father. The bright colors reference my children's energy, the objects they collect, and the commodified attributes of contemporary toys they like. 

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

Currently, I am collaborating on a project space with a fellow artist, Michael Manning, that will act as a quarterly curated experience. We are working together to provide a platform for artists to present unique installations and three-dimensional work. We just had our inaugural exhibition last month, and we are excited to put together our next event this summer. 

Finally, what is one lesson you learned from this past year? And how did it help you further develop your art?  

It is okay to say "No." Sometimes it seems like; as artists, we need to take on every opportunity that comes our way in hopes it will lead to the next big thing. However, taking a step back to really assess the path I desire and determine what I need to focus on has become an important step for me. It has been good for not only my art practice but also for my mental health, my family, and my professional path forward. Saying "no" has also allowed me to focus more on my art-making, which is important to me.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.