Ben Freeman
Ben Freeman creates large-scale
multimedia constructions utilizing emotionally charged personal objects,
such as antique photographs, historical text, diaries, letters and
journals. These elements are layered and structured to form a context that
transcends time and feeds the human lust for immortality. The multi-media
works incorporate a process of photomontage and collage, with large
transparent photographs projected and developed directly onto the surface
of the collaged under layers. The lead base of the artwork often has
cryptic inscriptions, emphasizing the theme as well as the power of human
emotion, and asking questions which, more often than not, require an
answer from the viewer rather than the artist.
The process
Freeman uses in the execution of this work has grown out of many years of
experimenting with various techniques in a never-ending search to better
render the feelings he seeks to express. The final result is achieved
through photomontage, collage and then projection and development of
photographs directly onto the surface of the canvas. The work begins with
collaging the basic elements (archival objects such as love letters or
antique photographs found mainly through forays in the marchés aux puces
in Paris, handwritten text on documents and printed text). Examples of
photographs that Freeman uses in his work include film starlets or turn of
the century actresses, old class photographs, snapshots from family albums
or portraits. These pieces are glued to canvas on a plywood backing using
a polymer medium.
The most prominent metaphor for time and memory in Freeman’s work is the
use of layering, combining surfaces of varying thickness to suggest
distance and clarity of what is recollected. Several layers of materials
are collaged to add a sense of depth and emotional complexity. Handwritten
text can be superimposed over them, and once complete the result is sealed
with an oil-based resin. The surface of the canvas is then treated with a
photo-emulsion, which in essence turns the entire canvas in a light
sensitive surface. A chosen negative is then projected onto the surface of
the piece and developed under darkroom conditions with photographic
chemicals. Monumental images are thus combined with the smaller and more
detailed images and text. The resulting image can then be modified with
oil colors. A lead base is most often attached, sometimes with a
sculptural dimension added by cutting through the plywood backing to
create alcoves and then by manipulating the lead itself. Bolts, molding,
lace, dried flowers, Japanese papers or other textural materials may be
applied to the image to enhance the composition. The thickness varies from
the ephemeral effects of lace and gauze to the thickness of cardboard or
lead. The resulting artwork is sealed by the addition of an epoxy resin
coat, which unifies and encapsulates it.
As Peter Hay Halpert comments in an essay on Ben Freeman, “…his work is an
amalgam of techniques, initiated by collaging layers of different
elements, such as 19th century photographs or documents, and then
overlaying them with projected imagery. As with many contemporary artists,
Freeman's art operates on multiple levels. On the one, process is integral
to the art. Thus, Freeman’s complex methodology is an essential ingredient
in creating an art object. But on another level, it is also clearly a
process for grappling with important ideas and emotions.”