Today we’d like to introduce you to Aviv Benn.
Aviv, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Israel, and ever since I can remember myself I was painting and drawing.
When I was about 20, during my military service, I decided to pursue a career in the arts and stop thinking of it as a hobby. I enrolled in Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem the following year and graduated with a BFA in 2013.
After my graduation, I participated in artist residencies in Berlin and Leipzig in Germany and had my studio based for a year in Berlin.
I moved to Chicago in 2016 to pursue my MFA in Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated in May 2018.
Currently I’m working in a studio in Humboldt Park, and I’m happy for the opportunity to have my studio based in Chicago.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a challenging road so far for me. I traveled a lot in the last few years, and as much as it was exciting to have my studio based in different cities, to experience various art scenes, and to exhibit my work, it was also quite hard to start over each time in a new place and to establish myself within the local art scene.
Other than that I struggle with the same challenges any painter is facing – the endless climb uphill to perfect your practice and the inevitable uncertainty that comes with being a professional artist.
Tell us more about you. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc.
I am a painter and mostly work in oil. I like to incorporate other materials and mediums such as textile printmaking, dyed canvas and pigments to keep things interesting and more complex for the viewer and myself.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When I finish a painting and something unpredictable happens, and it acquires a life of its own, it’s quite magical and keeps me going in the studio until the next time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.avivbenn.com
- Email: info@avivbenn.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/teeth_dream/
Image Credit:
Georgia Hampton (credit for personal photo)
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