Ones to Watch: Ben Kelly

Outstanding artists to have on your radar right now. Charlotte Middleton writes.

“My practice is an ongoing exploration of image making, using photography and its processes to dissect how we view images,” explains Ben Kelly. Based in Melbourne, Kelly holds a Diploma of Graphic Design, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Photography) from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2016. In the years since, the artist has honed his photographic practice, picking up finalist nominations and prizes including the RMIT Most Adventurous Image at the Centre for Contemporary Photography’s Salon, Melbourne in 2020. Combining photographs of organic situations that the artist happens across in daily life with more contrived arrangements, Kelly creates images that, while predominantly landscape-based, often appear to exist outside of time and space. “While heavily photographic in nature and process, I try to create works that don’t rely on an inherent knowledge of photographic production and history to derive meaning,” says the artist. “They can be enjoyed equally whether by a member of the public or by a professional photographer.”

Featured Image:Ben Kelly, Dimension, 2022. C-type print, custom painted artist frame, mirrors, museum glass, 39 x 54cm.Courtesy: the artist.

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