Biography:
Benjamin Conley is a painter and educator currently living in Johnson City, TN while completing his MFA. He grew up in a small rural mountain town called Madisonville, TN at the base of the Appalachian mountains. The natural landscape acts as a consistent source of influence within his work. His works often reference the teeming flora, fauna and wildlife within the region. Presently, his practice revolves around the connections and relationships of humans and animals. The narratives of the work display imagery that directly repurposes the visual language of ecology, embodiment, and the natural world.
Statement:
The natural landscape, and my immersion within these spaces has shaped my artistic practice. When I enter the animal domain, I am engrossed within the transformative nature of my surroundings. Because I have entered this domain and intimately exist within these spaces, I can empathetically connect with the creatures that live there and “become” the animal.
The concept of “artist as animal” may take on many forms: the animal viewed as a maker, the artist inhabiting the animal space, dwelling, or perspective, or the viewer inhabiting these same sites. Within this context, the role of the animal is expanded; hierarchies shift and blur. My embodied experience with the natural world shapes how I view myself within the context of these creatures. My work seeks to transform the viewer and myself into a state of becoming. We are confronted with our own physical existence in a shared natural world with beings that are not considered human, but still possess qualities that we find within ourselves.