The New York artist illustrating your worst/best behaviour behind closed doors
Ever eat french fries in your underwear?
[B]en Evans is an illustrator working out of New York. His work is principally concerned with the private, familiar spaces we call home and the unconventional ways we indulge ourselves (or the fantasies we have about indulging ourselves) behind closed doors. Humorous, controversial and also poignant, his works are a clear insight into the way we self-censor our thoughts and behaviour even when we are alone, before we’ve even had the chance to go public with the fact that we may or may not like to be strung up by an x-box controller, search “big..” on PornHub over breakfast or eat cereal and french fries in our underwear.
Check out Ben’s description of his work in his own words and see a few of our favourite pieces below. Follow him on Instagram @benisright.
Where does the inspiration for your artwork come from. Are these relationship goals?
The main inspirations I’ve been taking from are interiors that are familiar to me. I have a really deep connection with spaces and the way that humans interact inside a home. I often times go on real estate websites and draw directly from rooms that I feel are familiar to me and sometimes I will just create the space from memory alone. The figures are meant to embody the viewer and stand as something we can see in all of us. Theres a heavy sense of realness with a kind of sadistic humor involved in my works which I guess you could call relationship goals.
They are quite an antidote to the sanitized over-perfection we see on Instagram all the time. Are you consciously showing the scuzzier side of life?
Completely. I really try and not pigeon hole the way a man, woman or gender fluid person looks, feels or interacts in a lifelike setting. I enjoy the slyly political aspect of making art without being in your face about it.
What reactions have you had to your work online? Do you find Instagram to be a valid gallery space? Have you had your work censored at all?
I’ve had a really great reaction to my work through Instagram. I think a lot of people think of it as something for artists who aren’t serious about their work but in this day in age I think it is one of the best platforms for young, emerging artists. Last year my account was taken down in June from getting too many photos reported which put me back at square one but I restarted it and try to keep the xxx stuff on my website rather on than my Instagram.
Who else should we be following online right now?
Some of my favorite artists online right now are @96step, @alexgamsujenkins and @kliuwong.
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