
Spotlight Artist
Benjamin Cook
Midwest
Artist Statement
My paintings feature backgrounds of pieced-together drawings
of imagery taken from my everyday life layered on top of one
another, sketchbook-style, with colorful hard-edged lines painted
on top. Through multiple forms of application, the paintings jump
back and forth between references to traditional painting and
mindless doodles. This process mimics the fluidity of browsing
the Internet, moving from thoughtful political articles with global
ramifications to humorous GIFs and skate videos. I am interested
in how protocols of digital processes play out, and blend with an
analog life. Image duplication, content layering, and identitycrafting
through staged images blend and clash with one another
within the figure–ground relationship. Through these paintings, I
create abridged versions of a life that flows between many forms
of mediation but remains unified through a single experience.
Artist's Additional works
Works shared by the artist outside of their featured New American Paintings selections


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