Ben King is a ceramic artist recognisable for his playful and strangely evocative work.
Ben’s use of traditional ceramic forms such as plates and figures distorts the notion of everyday objects, challenging ceramic conventionality. A key concept lies in the individual, living spirit he imbues in each piece, and their rough solidity contrasts with the delicate attention he gives to them.
His pieces conjure childhood motifs often in humorously disarming, if not disconcerting ways. Comical looking characters may on closer inspection emerge as threatening, even scary. Trial and trauma appear instantaneously in parallel with living, yet manifest as dream-like imagery, ultimately offering a realistic optimism.
“All the wrong colors at the right time. A weird afternoon. An old memory friend. A romantic melody”