Benjamin Selby

Artist Statement

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Artist Statement

Growing up in, on and around water has played a large role in how I represent my past and current struggles. The stories depicted through my work are inspired by part of my childhood spent fishing for catfish, alligator gar, and carp with my father and brother in North Texas. Along the Trinity River we would see powerful carp rolling through the white waters of the spillway, prehistoric gar lurking in the flooded backwaters waiting for a meal to drift by, and massive catfish hiding under the roots of the muddy riverbanks. These memories find their way into my work in new and exciting ways as I continue to research the symbolic and literal ways we use the environment to better understand ourselves. These stories embrace the beauty in challenge, adversity, and failure in an attempt to overcome the fear of the unknown.

Even with all of our modern technology we struggle to control the incredible forces of water, yet animals such as common carp miraculously overcome this force with their ability to leap up waterfalls and swim against fast currents without ever stopping. Their feats of power and perseverance have come to symbolize similar characteristics within us. During the summer of 2018 I lived in Kyoto, Japan and would often walk along the banks, bridges and through the shallow waters of the Kamo River watching the carp gracefully swimming against the strong currents. Seeing these amazing creatures, the same species I grew up with, I felt such a strong unexpected connection to home. Most of my time in Japan was spent studying and practicing mokuhanga, a waterbased woodblock printing technique. I fell in love with mokuhanga both for the historic depictions of people, water, and everything that lives within it, as well as the importance water holds within the physical process of printing. Every step of the way it is a balancing act of water, in the brush, in the block, in the paper, and even in the air around you. Learning such a difficult and complex task forces you to embrace challenge as well as except failure again and again. As I work towards better understanding my past and present experiences, a common theme that comes up is learning to find the tools to actively shape my future and reshape my past. Even more importantly, learning to except and embrace that which I can’t control.          

Still within earshot of the roaring waters of the spillway, breath taken by the frigid spring water, sinking fast, in that moment I would rather drown than take the rope from his outstretched arm. My most recent project, Turbulent Waters, was inspired by the past few summers spent fishing with my, until recently estranged father on a section of the Trinity River known for yearly flooding, strong currents, and its alligator gar population. In this set of mokuhanga, the protagonist is depicted in a series of unfolding events trigger by him being cast out, arms tied behind his back, into a chaotic world. The creatures he faces are not literal representations, but rather symbolic manifestations of my perceived fears depicted by images of these amazing and seemingly terrifying animals. Each panel represents feelings I and many others have had facing our demons; feeling a lack of control, feeling like you have hit rock bottom, feeling alone, feeling like you are drowning, and feeling like it only gets worse. These emotions are difficult to just push aside, hide, and forget about. They are intricate and beautiful challenges I have had to overcome and embrace to become who I am.