Ben Sanderson
Working across painting, drawing, printmaking, papermaking making and textiles, my practice develops slowly, embracing cyclical processes of growth and decay. I often transform or recycle existing works treating the archive as an open space that can be reshaped and reimagined through making.
Over the past eight years, my work has extended into schools, universities, gardens, care homes, galleries, museums, shops, and domestic spaces - anywhere that allows ideas to progress. I am interested in how art can act as a tool or navigator for experiencing life, and how shared engagement with practice can create spaces for growth and understanding. Alongside my studio work, I run workshops and teach part-time as an Associate Lecturer at Falmouth University and truly value the reciprocal exchange of learning and dialogue.
In 2021 I made Green at an Angle, an exhibition at Kestle Barton, which developed through a three-year relationship with Trebah Gardens. Through garden walks with specialists from different disciplines, I explored the space between people and plants, questioning what happens at the garden’s edge. This thinking later led to Ouroboros, an exhibition at MIRROR gallery in Plymouth, where I made a series of wall-like works from reactivated paintings; cropped, quilted, dyed, and pulped to form temporary rooms within the gallery. More recently, during a period of personal loss, I made small, intimate paintings which were exhibited alongside collaborative wall murals painted by young people in Lilies and Illusions at Harbour House, Kingsbridge.
My practice is lived-in and intuitive which is what prompts me towards anew.
Helping Artists Keep Going
Axis is an artist-led charity supporting contemporary visual artists with resources, connection, and visibility.