“The material used in these paintings are treated with a bluntness that evokes violence, which mirrors my own personal struggle to reveal subconscious feelings about my existential place in the world. These paintings are made using collage and haphazard brushstrokes, which in their own right have a kind of brutality that evokes truths about my culture— a culture that has a nihilistic drive for power, dominance and control over every living and non-living thing.
There is an irony to the paintings, as I myself am an artist who imposes my control and dominance upon the material I use. Any attempt to escape from culpability seems fruitless, like trying to eat without killing anything living.”
Benjamin Thure Heiken received his BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and his MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art. Heiken has moved around all over the Pacific Northwest and has lived abroad in both Spain and the UK. He currently lives in Spokane, Washington.
Heiken has shown work across the US and world, including the Barbican Arts Group Trust (London), ArtWorks Open (London), TAP Gallery (Southend-on-Sea, UK), the University College London Museum (London), Bosse & Baum (London), La Grange Gallery (Cernay-Les-Reims, France), Warbling Collective (London), Elysium Gallery (Swansea, UK), Eccleston Project Space (London), Flowers Gallery (London), The Landing Gallery (Los Angeles), Spokane Public Library (Spokane, WA), and Object Space Gallery (Spokane, WA). He has participated in art fairs and benefit auctions, including the Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles (Europa, New York City), NADA Miami (Landing Gallery, Los Angeles), and the 16th Annual White Columns Benefit Auction (New York City). His work was featured in the 2018 New American Paintings Pacific issue.
Heiken currently directs Heiken Gallery out of Word Virus Books in Portland, Oregon. He has also curated shows in Spokane, including artists from all over the world.
In 2013, Heiken was awarded the Chelsea Club Trust Award in London. In 2014, he was nominated for the Red Mansion Art Prize (Beijing, China) and long-listed for the Saatchi New Sensations Prize (London).
More of Ben Heiken’s work can be found on his website https://www.benjamin-heiken.com
